Here’s an example. No sooner was I back from a relaxing holiday than I received a message from a fellow valve-spotter and good friend Mrs Lena Mikhailova.
As you may know, Lena is based in St. Petersburg and regularly sends me interesting items about key industrial developments throughout Russia.
In her e-mail, she came right to the point. Did I know that TNK-BP was planning to increase gas sales in the Orenburg Region by 2.5 times by 2017?
Well, no, and moreover, I was finding it hard to recall my scant knowledge of TNK-BP.
Fortunately Google provided some quick answers, and to my deep shame I read that TNK-BP is actually among the top ten privately-owned oil companies in the world in terms of crude oil production.
So indeed this could be a project well worth following as the investment in plant and equipment should be quite substantial.
For example, the company’s own press release states:
“The Company’s gas and energy business strategy for the Orenburg Region envisages the creation of additional infrastructure for gathering, transportation, treatment and processing of all its recoverable associated gas.”
“The capacity of the Zaikinskiy gas processing plant (GPP), for example, is to be doubled to 2.2 bcma, with a simultaneously increase in the depth of gas processing. At the Pokrovskoe field, a modern gas treatment unit – the Pokrovskaya GTU – is to be built. Completion of the construction and installation work on the second train of the Zaikinskiy GPP and the Pokrovskaya GTU is scheduled for 2012.”
“Next year, TNK-BP is also planning to complete a new rail terminal for shipment of liquid hydrocarbons from the Tyulpan station, thereby expanding logistics and marketing opportunities for gas processing products”
My thanks to Lena for this piece of news. And, of course, for the opportunity to fill some of the many gaps in my industrial education!
