Putin switches on ESPO, the pumping of oil

KOZMINO. December 28. KAZINFORM Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has put the Eastern Siberia--Pacific Ocean (ESPO) oil pipeline transportation system into operation at a ceremony here on Monday, giving the go-ahead to the pumping of oil to the first tanker, Kazinform refers to Itar-Tass.
None
None

The system was activated after a Transneft Company controller reported the tanker's readiness to receive oil.

Following the start-up of the ESPO system, Putin made the following entry in the honorary visitors' book: "My congratulations on the start of work. Happy New Year. Luck"

The ESPO pipeline transportation system is intended to diversify the supply of Russian oil and open up a new promising market of the Asia-Pacific Region to this country.

"This is a great event for the sector and the region," the Premier said. Putin recalled that a decision to build such a pipeline transportation system had been made on December 31, 2004. "Within five years we have accomplished everything that we contemplated," he emphasized.

The cost of the first phase of the ESPO has amounted to 360,000 million roubles, and another 60,000 million roubles have been used for the construction of the port at Kozmino, Putin said, Kazinform cites Itar-Tass. See www.itar-tass.com for full version.

Currently reading