Crisis center

Gazprom Begins Construction of the Kazachya Compressor Station, which will be Responsible for the Preparation of Gas for the South Stream Pipeline

Interfax, May 15, 2013

15.05.2013

Red October Farm, Krasnodar Territory. May 15. Interfax-AGI - Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) has started to construct the Kazachya compressor station, which will be responsible for preparing natural gas for shipment via the undersea South Stream pipeline.

The agency’s correspondent, who provided coverage from the site of the compressor station, was there on Wednesday when the first part of the foundation was laid.

The Kazachya compressor station is part of the land-based system for providing gas to the Southern Corridor, which will supply gas to the southern regions of Russia and ensure the supply of 63 billion cubic meters of gas to the undersea South Stream pipeline. The total length of the Southern Corridor pipeline will be 2,506.2 km. The system includes western and eastern legs.

According to Gazprom, the total design capacity of the Kazachya compressor station is 200 MW. In addition to transporting gas, it will remove moisture and impurities. Gazprom Invest General Director Mikhail Levchenko reported at the opening ceremony that currently 300 km of the 800 km western leg of the pipeline had been laid already. Work is already underway at three out of the Southern Corridor's ten planned compressor stations.

As M. Levchenko recalled, "half of the Kazachya compressor station will be dedicated to the installation of a fuel gas system which will remove water and contaminants." He explained that the value of the fuel gas system is that the gas is transported by land from one compressor station to another across a much smaller distance than the length of the South Stream pipeline. Within the South Stream pipeline the presence of any impurities in the gas will threaten to form hydrates.

Responding to a question on how the quality of gas is calculated at Kazachya CS, he said that it is about the quality of Gazprom's unified gas supply system. He clarified that the station will get natural gas that originates in the northern Tyumen region.

The customer of the station is a specialized subsidiary of Gazprom, Gazprom Invest (St. Petersburg). Previously, the company was called Gazprom Invest West. Currently, Gazprom is transferring certain functions from several other similar companies that have been united under the Gazprom Invest umbrella. It already performs the functions previously handled by Gazprom Invest Yug and PeterGaz LLC; by next year, the functions of Yamalgazinvest will also be shifted to Gazprom Invest.

General Contractor is CJSC Stroytransgaz

During the construction process, unique imported equipment must be delivered to the compressor station site during the construction process, which often presents complex logistical problems; 20 basic units requiring installation (absorbers) weigh more than 200 tons each. They are 22 meters in length and about 6 meters wide, and must be delivered on special barges. They are transported via the Kuban River from the port of Temryuk to the village of Varenikovskaya. In the village, dredging will be conducted, piers will be built, and the infrastructure will be strengthened and modernized.

Further equipment will be transported by road on special platforms to Kazachya compressor station at a distance of approximately 20 km. This section of road will be strengthened as it traverses foothills, its pavement will be strengthened, and overhead telephone lines will be removed, along with power lines and above-ground gas distribution pipelines.