The Portovaya compressor station located near Vyborg (Leningrad Oblast) hosted today celebrations dedicated to the start of natural gas feeding into the first string of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Taking part in the event were Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Government; Ilya Klebanov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal Okrug; Georgy Poltavchenko, Governor of Saint Petersburg; Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee; Gerhard Schroeder, Chairman of the Nord Stream AG Shareholders’ Committee and Matthias Warnig, Managing Director of Nord Stream AG.

The feeding is a necessary final-stage process that precedes commissioning of the first string of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Natural gas will be fed by a special gas treatment unit. The entire process will last for nearly a month.

By now, the necessary work has been done at the coastal areas in Russia and Germany to ensure natural gas supplies via the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

“Nord Stream has a special significance for meeting the growing gas demand of the European market. It will be the first direct link between the world’s largest natural gas reserves located in Russia and the European gas transmission system. The project is progressing strictly according to the schedule, and first commercial gas supplies via the first string of Nord Stream will soon reach the European Union. The entire gas volume to be supplied under the project is already contracted by major international energy companies. The commissioning of Nord Stream, the longest offshore gas trunkline worldwide, is a milestone in the global gas industry history,” said Alexey Miller.

Background

Nord Stream is a fundamentally new route for Russian gas export to Europe. Running across the Baltic Sea waters from the Portovaya Bay (near Vyborg) to the German coast (near Greifswald) the gas pipeline will stretch for more than 1,200 kilometers. The first string of the gas pipeline with a capacity of 27.5 billion cubic meters per annum is projected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2011. Construction of the second string will increase its annual capacity to 55 billion cubic meters.

The Nord Stream project is being implemented by Nord Stream AG, the joint venture set up for planning, construction and subsequent operation of the offshore gas pipeline. Stakes in Nord Stream AG are currently distributed as follows: Gazprom holds 51 per cent, Wintershall Holding and E.ON Ruhrgas – 15.5 per cent each, Gasunie and GDF Suez – 9 per cent each.

On September 3, 2011 the onshore and the offshore sections of the Nord Stream gas pipeline were connected which made it possible to start feeding gas into its offshore section.

The Portovaya compressor station is a unique facility in the global gas industry. Its total capacity makes up 366 MW, working pressure – 220 bar, transmission distance – over 1,200 kilometers. Gazprom is using novel equipment and cutting-edge technologies for the compressor station construction.