Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline

The Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline (also known as the West-Siberian Pipeline, or Trans-Siberian Pipeline) is one of Russia's main natural gas export pipelines. The Russian section of this pipeline is operated by Gazprom and the Ukrainian section is operated by UkrTransGaz.

History

The pipeline project was proposed in 1978 as a export pipeline from Yamburg gas field, but was later changed to the pipeline from Urengoy field, which was already in use. In July 1981, a consortium of German banks, led by Deutsche Bank, and the AKA Ausfuhrkredit GmbH agreed to provide 3.4 billion Deutsche Mark in credits for the compressor stations. Later finance agreements were negotiated with a group of French banks and the Japanese Export-Import Bank. In 1981-1982, contracts were signed with compressors and pipes suppliers Creusot-Loire, John Brown Engineering, Nuovo Pignone, AEG-Telefunken, Mannesmann, Dresser Industries, and Japan Steel Works. Pipe-layers were bought from Caterpillar Inc. and Komatsu.

The pipeline was constructed in 1982-1984. It created the transcontinental gas transportation system Western Siberia-Western Europe, for which the official inauguration ceremony took place in France.cite web
publisher = Gazprom
url = http://www.gazprom.ru/eng/articles/article8518.shtml
title = History of the gas branch
accessdate = 2008-05-30]

Route

The pipeline runs from Siberia's Urengoy gas field to Uzhgorod in Western Ukraine. From there, the natural gas is transported to Central and Western European countries. [cite journal
publisher = Bureau of Mines / Minerals yearbook area reports
url = http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/EcoNatRes/EcoNatRes-idx?type=turn&entity=EcoNatRes.MinYB1981v3.p1049&isize=text
title = The Mineral Industry of the U.S.S.R.
year = 1981
accessdate = 2008-05-29] It crosses the Russian–Ukrainian border north of Sumy. In Ukraine, it takes gas to the Uzhgorod pumping stationon the Ukrainian border with Slovakia and to smaller pumping stations on the Hungarian and Romanian borders.cite book
last= Pirani | first=Simon
publisher = Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
url = http://www.oxfordenergy.org/pdfs/NG21.pdf
title = Ukraine's gas sector
format = PDF
pages = 76
isbn= 978-1-901795-63-9
year = 2007
accessdate = 2008-05-30] The pipeline crossed the Ural Carpathian mountains and more than 600 rivers including Ob, Volga, Don and Dnepr rivers.cite journal
last= Afzal | first=Amina
publisher = The Institute of Strategic Studies
url = http://www.issi.org.pk/journal/2004_files/no_3/article/5a.htm
title = The Caspian region: competition for pipeline routes
journal = Strategic Studies
volume = XXIV
issue = 3
year = 2004
accessdate = 2008-05-30]

Technical features

The pipeline is convert|4500|km|mi|-2 long and has a diameter of convert|56|in|mm|-1. The annual capacity of the pipeline is 32 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas. It has 42 compressor stations.cite paper
url = http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/permalink/meta-crs-8790:1
title = Soviet gas pipeline: U.S. Options
author=John Hardt; Donna L. Gold
date=1982-08-10
accessdate = 2008-05-30] The telecommunications and cathodic protection systems of the pipeline were installed by Alcatel of France. The pipeline utilizes 85 dual CCVT stations for telecommunications.cite news
publisher = Pipeline & Gas Journal
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3251/is_n3_v224/ai_n25024229/pg_2
title = Energy converters prove most reliable for Gazprom
author=I.V. Belousenko
accessdate = 2008-05-30]

Controversies

Disagreement among the allies

The Soviet plans to build the pipeline were considered a threat to the balance of energy trade in Europe, and were strongly opposed by the Reagan administration. [http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/B46005F232854FCC9EA465EA44FE3401.pdf NSC Meetings Box 91282 (169).jpg] ] [http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1982/60182d.htm] [ [http://www.ronaldreagan.com/ussr.html Ronald Reagan... National Defense ] ] [cite episode
title = CBS Evening News: Trans-Siberian Pipeline
episodelink = http://openweb.tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/1982-2/1982-02-26-CBS-3.html
url = http://openweb.tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/1982-2/1982-02-26-CBS-3.html
network = CBS
airdate = 1982-02-26] cite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20615F63B5C0C728DDDA80894DA484D81
title = U.S. asks its allies to deny to Soviet parts for pipeline
date = 1982-01-11
accessdate = 2008-05-29] . The United States prevented U.S. companies from selling supplies to the Soviets for the pipeline, as part of what was also retribution against the Soviets for their policies towards Poland. [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952421-3,00.html Alexander Haig - TIME ] ]

America's Western European allies, however, refused to bowcite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20C1FFF355C0C7B8EDDA00894DA484D81
title = U.S. asserts gap on gas pipeline bars on accord
date = 1982-02-11
accessdate = 2008-05-29] to U.S. pressurecite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B14FB3D5D0C7A8CDDAE0894DA484D81
title = Reagan is seeking ways to moderate Poland sanctions
date = 1982-07-09
accessdate = 2008-05-29] to boycott the pipeline [cite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10C16F7385D0C708CDDA10894DA484D81
title = Britain defying U.S. restriction in Soviet project
date = 1982-08-03
accessdate = 2008-05-29] cite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00B13FB3E5D0C708EDDAE0894DA484D81
title = France defies ban by U.S. on supplies for Soviet pipeline
date = 1982-07-23
accessdate = 2008-05-29] , insisting that contracts already signed between the Soviets and European companies needed to be honored. This lead to several European companiescite news
publisher = The New York Times
url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40F10FA3F5C0C718CDDA00894DA484D81
title = Regan asserts U.S. will sharply ease pipeline sanctions
date = 1982-09-02
accessdate = 2008-05-29] being sanctioned by the U.S. Government.The efforts by the U.S. pressure to prevent the construction of the pipeline, and it's export embargo of supplies for the pipeline (1980-1984) constituted the one of the most severe transatlantic crises of the Cold War. [cite journal
publisher = Institute of International Economic Relations, Greece
journal=Agora Without Frontiers
Volume = 9 (
issue=4
pages= 307-329
url = http://www.idec.gr/iier/new/TOMOS%209/TEYXOS%204/TSAKIRIS_9_4.pdf
title = Energy Security Policy as Economic Statecraft: A Concise Historical Overviewof the Last 100 Years
format = PDF
year = 2004
accessdate = 2008-05-29]

Construction controversy

The construction of the pipeline was also subject to a United States Congressional hearing investigating the use of imported Vietnamese labor from re-education camps to build the pipeline [ [http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=6209167 Human-rights consequences of the proposed trans-Siberian natural gas pipeline] ] .

Accidents

The pipeline's first accident occurred even before the commissioning the pipeline. On 15 December 1983, a fire broke out at a compressor station in Urengoy, destroying electronic monitoring devices and control panels, but no one was injured.cite news
publisher = Time
url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,949950-1,00.html
title = Incident at Urengoi
date = 1984-01-23
accessdate = 2008-05-30] On 7 May 2007, the pipeline exploded near the village of Luka. The explosion damaged 30 meters of the pipeline.cite paper
publisher = Overseas Security Advisory Council
url = https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=68085
title = Ukraine Pipeline Explosion
date = 2007-05-07
accessdate = 2008-05-30] Second explosion happened on 6 December 2007 near the village of Tiahun.cite news
publisher = Pro-Consulting
url = http://pro-consulting.com.ua/eng/news/2007/12/19/ukrtranshaz_resumes__13003.html
title = Ukrtranshaz Resumes Gas Transit To Europe Via Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod Pipeline
date = 2007-12-19
accessdate = 2008-05-30]

ee also

*Yamal-Europe pipeline
*Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline

References