Gazprom’s Orders Spur Domestic Pipe Industry Growth

The Gazprom Management Committee Chairman Alexey Miller held a meeting at the Vyksa Steel Works (city of Vyksa, Nizhny Novgorod Region). The central issue for consideration was innovations in the Russian pipe industry.

Prior to the meeting, Gazprom's delegation had looked at the pipe production facilities of the Vyksa Steel Works.

Taking part in the meeting were Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Oleg Aksyutin, Yaroslav Golko and Dmitry Lyugai, Member of the Gazprom Management Committee, heads and representatives from Gazprom's specialized structural units and a number of subsidiaries, the Pipe Producers Association, United Metallurgical Company OMK, Pipe Metallurgical Company TMK, Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant, Severstal, RUSNANO Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs, METACLAY.

Alexey Miller highlighted that major orders from Gazprom and efficient sci-tech cooperation between the Company and domestic pipe producers spurred the advancement and modernization of Russian pipe companies. This manifests itself not only in higher rates of production, but also in the development of new types of products unparalleled globally. Thus, 1,420 millimeter high-strength pipes with unique performances and designed for the operating pressure of 11.8 MPa – the world's record for onshore gas pipelines –were developed for the Bovanenkovo – Ukhta gas trunkline system. At that, the required strength was ensured by changing the steel properties, rather than by increasing the wall thickness thereby enabling to cut down costs. These pipes were made, in particular, at the Vyksa Steel Works.

Domestic pipe producers take part in Gazprom's new large-scale gas transmission projects, namely South Stream, Southern Corridor and Power of Siberia. They are also ready to supply pipes of higher strength capacity, suitable for the areas with seismic intensity 8 or above. In addition, some mills have already started to commercially apply domestically-produced materials for external anti-corrosion coating.

The meeting emphasized that Gazprom offered new challenges for Russian pipe producers; particularly they will have to introduce and maintain the production of the following types of pipes:

• threaded pipes for marine gas production;

• pipes intended for operation in hostile environment;

• pipes of extended cold resistance;

• pipes with highly tight threads;

• pipes with vacuum heat insulation.

At the end of the meeting, the domestic pipe producers were entrusted with further developing pipe production for Gazprom's needs.

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