Nord Stream Successfully Meets Tests

Operator of the Nord Stream pipeline Gazprom has said today that all the conditions required for successful testing of the pipeline have been met, proving the route as a "highly reliable" source of gas to Europe.

Speaking on a visit to the Portovaya compressor station, CEO of Gazprom Alexey Miller said that the pipeline's reliability was a proven fact.

"Nord Stream has been successfully tested," he said. "The testing has proven that the new route of Russian gas supplies to Europe is highly reliable. Similar testing of Nord Stream’s second string is scheduled for the next summer.

Testing on the pipeline had two stipulations, the company said, to prove the minimum standard of reliability of Nord Stream. Firstly, the pipeline was required to transport at least one billion cubic metres in a calendar month. The Nord Stream pipeline achieved this, Gazprom says, exceeding it by .1 billion cubic metres to a total of 1.1 billion cubic metres of gas between 15 May and 14 June 2012.

The second condition of the pipeline required that a full load of gas must be sustained through the pipeline for at least three days. This was also achieved, Gazprom said, with the firstof the two lones planned for Nord Stream having carried 75 million cubic metres of gas per day, corresponding to the annual design capacity of 27.5 billion cubic metres, from 22 May to 24 May 2012.

Mr. Miller said that the pipeline would help the company to continue to improve the security of gas supply in Europe.

"By creating new routes we care about our European consumers, it is also a guarantee that their gas demand will be met and the EU countries’ energy security will be reinforced in a sustained manner," he said