Pipeliners

MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian pipeline-building company Stroytransgaz said Monday it had finished constructing a short natural gas pipe section in Greece, which extends an existing route from Alexandroupolis to Turkey. The new 53.7-kilometer (33-mile) section runs northwest from the city to Komotini. The new addition is a continuation of a pipeline built by Stroytransgaz in 1996-2000, and provides a link between the gas supply networks of Greece and Turkey, the company said. The contract to build the new section was signed in December 2005. The project was implemented jointly with Greece's Prometheus Gas S.A., on an order from the Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA). In line with the contract, Stroytransgaz built the pipeline with a diameter of 36 inches, and constructed other necessary facilities. Both projects implemented by Stroytransgaz were the result of Russian-Greek cooperation fixed in a 1994 intergovernmental agreement on natural gas supplies. Stroytransgaz was founded in 1990. It specializes in designing and building pipeline systems, oil and gas production facilities, and underground gas storage facilities. Stroytransgaz is currently involved in large projects in 15 countries. Russian energy giant Gazprom sold its blocking stake in the company last year.