On 18 July 2023, Igor Babushkin, Astrakhan Oblast
Governor, visited Astrakhan PS, Tengiz-Novorossiysk crude pipeline operation
facility, for the first time. CPC General Director Nikolay Gorban personally
demonstrated the station operation equipment to the Region’s Head and told him
about the main oil pumping processes.The station managers and specialists familiarized
Igor Babushkin with the staff working conditions and the activities implemented
by the team aimed at improvement of industrial and environmental safety and
labor protection. Anti-terrorist protection
of the facility and protection of the crude pipeline line segment were in the
focus in the course of the visit.
Thanks to the Debottlenecking Program (DBNP)
completed at the PS, the station operation area was upgraded by 90%. A new
mainline pump building with new units was constructed, as well as a new
switchgear house, a packaged transformer substation, a foam generating unit and
mud strainers were installed.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) were installed
for the new mainline pump building as part of the DBNP. Use of the VFD
significantly save both energy and equipment service life: if earlier a CPC
dispatcher had to completely shut down a unit to change the crude pipeline
operation mode “downward”, now it is enough to reduce the electric motor
revolutions.
Customs metering of crude oil coming from
Kazakhstan is carried out at Astrakhan PS. A new custody transfer meter
with six lines was built under the Expansion Project. The capacity of the meter
with ultrasonic flow meters achieves 11.5 thousand cu. m per hour.
In 2022, Astrakhan PS mainline pumps pumped 52 M
tons of crude oil. During the first half of 2023 - approximately 30 M tons.
For
information:
CPC Pipeline
System is one of the major investment projects with foreign capital in energy
sector in the CIS. The length of the Tengiz – Novorossiysk pipeline is 1,511
km. This route transports over two-thirds of all Kazakhstan export crude, as
well as crude from Russian oil fields, including those in the Caspian Region.
CPC Marine Terminal is equipped with three Single Point Moorings (SPM) that
allow to load tankers safely at a significant distance offshore, also amid poor
weather conditions.
CPC Shareholders:
Federal Agency for State Property Management represented by Transneft (trust
management) – 24%, CPC Company – 7%, KazmunayGas – 19%, Kazakhstan Pipeline
Ventures LLC – 1.75%, Chevron Caspian Pipeline Consortium Company – 15%,
LUKARCO B.V. – 12.5%, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company – 7.5%, Rosneft-Shell
Caspian Ventures Limited – 7.5%, BG Overseas Holding Limited – 2%, Eni
International N.A. N.V. S.ar.l. – 2% and Oryx Caspian Pipeline LLC – 1.75%.