Next week LLC LatRosTrans (LRT) plans to start the displacement of crude oil from its Polotsk – Ventspils pipeline. LRT is going to empty one section of the pipeline – from Dzukste station to Ventspils, which is estimated to contain about 43 thousand tons of crude oil.

“Emptying the pipeline and its preservation in accordance with internationally recognized technology by filling the pipeline with inert gas will make it possible to reduce environmental risks potentially posed by the presence of crude oil in the main pipeline. Therefore, this is good news for all those whose land is located close to the pipeline,” – emphasizes LRT manager Igor Stepanov.

Until taking a further decision, it is planned to store the displaced crude oil in the tanks of Ventspils nafta terminals. A decision on further actions with the crude oil will be taken before the end of the year.

Further cleaning and preservation of the crude oil pipeline by filling it with nitrogen in accordance with new technology are planned to be continued by LRT in spring. “One of the possible future uses of the pipeline might be the delivery of gas to the city of Ventspils which currently has no natural gas supply. Many industrial clients have already shown their interest in the new gas pipeline,” – explains LRT manager Igor Stepanov.

Starting preliminary works for functional conversion of the Polotsk – Ventspils crude oil pipeline to a gas pipeline, in October LRT plans to announce a tender for special diagnostics of a small section of the pipeline. This is a pilot project within the framework of which it is planned to perform special diagnostics of an 8.2 km long section of the pipeline for determining the possibility of using it for gas transportation.

 “This pilot project is very important for us, since, taking into account the geopolitical and economic situation, we are fully aware that this pipeline most likely will never be used for transporting crude oil. Therefore, we need to find a new application for the enterprise’s crude oil transportation infrastructure, technology and professional knowledge of the employees,”– says Igor Stepanov, LRT manager.  “If the pilot project proves to be successful, we will get a clearer idea of the future of the crude oil pipeline and of our development prospects.”

Information about LatRosTrans

LLC LatRosTrans owns two crude oil pipelines in the territory of the Republic of Latvia – Polotsk-Mazeikiai and Polotsk-Ventspils, which have not been used in recent years for the pumping of crude oil. In turn, the Polotsk – Ventspils oil product pipeline belonging to LLC LatRosTrans is actively used at present for transportation of diesel fuel.

LLC LatRosTrans is the biggest Latvian-Russian joint venture in the Baltic states, in which the Russian partner – OJSC AK Transnefteprodukt (daughter company of JSC АК Transneft) – owns 34% of the company’s shares, while 66% of the shares belong to the joint-stock company Ventspils nafta (NASDAQ OMX RIGA: VNF1R).