Gazprom Took Part in Commissioning of The Upgraded Zapadnaya Gas Distribution Station

Mr Alexey Miller chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee took part in commissioning of the upgraded Zapadnaya gas distribution station in Minsk.

The event was also attended by Mr Vladimir Semashko first deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Eduard Tovpenets first deputy Energy Minister of the Republic of Belarus, Mr Vladimir Mayorov DG of Beltransgaz as well as heads of the Minsk Municipal Executive Committee and the Beltopgaz state owned production association.

The Zapadnaya GDS is among giant gas distribution stations of Minsk. The GDS upgrade helped materially improve the reliability of gas supply to the city. The peak load of the GDS surpassed its nominal capacity and sometimes reached 446 thousand cubic meters per hour during the winter period. By now, its nominal capacity has grown 1.5 times to 600,000 cubic meters per hour. This will enable the GDS to meet gas demand in the future when new large gas consumers, like heat and power generating facilities will come onstream in the city.

The Zapadnaya GDS upgrade started in May 2012 and was carried out on a tight schedule. Up to date materials and equipment as well as advanced engineering solutions were used in upgrade operations. The new GDS fully complies with all environmental and firefighting standards applied at Gazprom's facilities and throughout Belarus. Operations related risks were minimized.

Mr Alexey Miller said that “The station was upgraded due to the fact that Beltransgaz had been integrated into Gazprom. At present, Beltransgaz has an opportunity to carry out the large-scale investment program aimed at advancement of the entire gas transmission system throughout the Republic, and to expand UGS and gas transmission capacities. Another 35 gas distribution stations are to be upgraded until the end of 2015. This work guarantees reliable gas supplies to industrial enterprises and Belarusian consumers for many years to come.”