The Russian steelmaker Severstal has announced that its subsidiaries Izhora Pipe Mill and CherMK's LPTs-3 plant are included in the shortlist of potential suppliers of pipe products for the Nord Stream project's second construction phase.
After a test which involved thorough checking of the production technology of pipes with a maximum wall thickness of 34.6 mm and with diameter of 1,220 mm, Izhora Pipe Mill and LPTs-3 received certification for compliance with DNV-OS-F101 standard. About 350,000 mt of such pipes will be laid in the Russian section of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, stretching from Vyborg, Russia. As the testing of these pipes proved to be successful, certification also extends to pipes with a smaller wall thickness (30.9 mm and 26.8 mm) also envisaged by the project.
Izhora Pipe Mill's CEO Oleg Urnev commented, "This certification opens up bright prospects. Izhora products have been found to be in compliance with the stringent requirements imposed on pipes to be laid in extreme Baltic seabed environments. Moreover, Izhora is located in close proximity to the gas pipeline area - the Gulf of Finland water area - which offers additional advantages, reducing transportation costs for our potential client".
As stated by Anatoly Kruchinin, CEO of Severstal Russian Steel and of CherMK, Severstal produces large diameter pipe using its own rolled metal products and is fully provided with all necessary feedstock.