SIMFEROPOL – The Crimean Peninsula may start receiving gas from Russia through a trunk gas pipeline running from the Krasnodar territory as early as at the end of 2016, the Russian Energy Ministry told Interfax.
“An interconnector to unite the gas supply system in mainland Russia with the Crimean Peninsula’s gas transport system (the Dzhankoi-Feodosia-Kerch gas pipeline) will be tied in this month,” it said.
The principal amount of construction and assembly operations on the Krasnodar territory-Crimea trunk gas pipeline, including welding, installation, and backfilling, has been completed, it said.
“In line with the endorsed operations schedule, the facility is to be put into operation in the second quarter of 2017; however, the Russian Energy Ministry and the organization developing the project are analyzing the possibility of putting the first phase of the trunk gas pipeline into operation at the end of 2016 to ensure gas supply in the 2016-2017 fall and winter period,” it said.
The gas pipeline should be 343 kilometers long, and its nominal throughput capacity is four billion cubic meters of gas a year. The pipeline is being constructed by the Stroygazmontazh company.
The Energy Ministry declined to specify the cost of the project. “The Russian Energy Ministry is exercising control over the project implementation as regards its construction, its financial component is not within the ministry’s purview, and therefore it cannot fully estimate the costs incurred by the developer,” it said.
The Crimean administration earlier estimated the project at 20 billion rubles.
