Commissioning of ESPO’s first phase scheduled for December 25, 2009

Transneft plans to commission the first phase of ESPO on December 25, 2009. According to the company’s quarterly report, the construction of the first phase started in April 2006. The ESPO oil pipeline is the main project of Transneft for the nearest future. ESPO is to pump up to 80 million tonnes of oil per year. The project’s first phase envisions construction of a pipeline capable of pumping 30 million tonnes of oil per year. ESPO length exceeds 4,770 kilometers. The pipeline’s end point will be a new specialized sea oil port in Kozmino Bay (Primorsk territory). The construction of the first phase started in April 2006.