From April 9, 2024, during the scheduled shutdown, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium began maintenance activities and connection of new equipment at the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline facilities, APA reports citing the Consortium's website.
Such 72-hour shutdowns of pumping through the pipeline take place not less than twice every year, their schedule is agreed in advance with all shippers as well as with the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The scheduled shutdowns are required for those types of maintenance, repair, and connection of equipment that cannot be carried out on existing equipment.
Among the most important works for April 2024, it is scheduled to connect a new section of the pipeline at 266 km (crossing via the Atyrau-Astrakhan motor road under construction); replacement of a number of units of block valves at PS; elimination of the pipeline defects; replacement of four electrical isolation joints with spools; replacement of electric drives with new ones with adjustment of opening and closing of the block valves on the line pipe; upgrade of the pressure control station at the Marine Terminal; replacement of uninterruptible power supply units; scheduled activities for performance of the regular maintenance of various crude pipeline systems; pump stations and Marine Terminal (mechanical and process equipment; power and electrical equipment; instrumentation and automation systems, control systems).
At present oil loading at the CPC Marine Terminal is also suspended. Oil loading is expected to be resumed from April 11, information about it will be additionally announced.
CPC Pipeline System is one of the major investment projects with foreign capital in the 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 the Russian oil fields, including those in the Caspian Region. CPC Marine Terminal is equipped with three Single Point Moorings (SPMs) that allow loading tankers safely at a significant distance offshore, also amid poor weather conditions.