Pipeline transport in Russia, its features and development prospects

Pipeline transportation is an integral and most important component of the fuel and energy complex of the Russian state. The country has a branched and extremely developed network of main oil pipelines and gas pipelines that stretch for thousands of kilometers across the territory of many constituent entities of the Federation. To date , Russia is the only industrialized world power not only fully meets its domestic needs for petroleum products, but also acts as one of the leading exporters in the world.

Thus, the developed pipeline transport for the Russian Federation is an urgent economic and political necessity, since it allows not to depend on the transit gas and oil transport systems of neighboring states when it comes to the supply of raw materials to foreign markets. Pipeline transportation of oil, which is a kind of bloodstream of the modern world, also serves as an effective and key instrument for achieving foreign policy goals by regulating the supply of petroleum products to various foreign consumers.

Also, timely and uninterrupted delivery of extracted and processed oil and gas to various domestic enterprises has a beneficial effect on the overall economic strength of the country and contributes to its further strengthening. In addition, pipeline transport stimulates the development of the fuel and energy complex not only at the national level, but also at the scale of individual regions.

Such transportation of oil, the importance of which is determined by the great remoteness of deposits from the end user, occupies a very important position in the export balance of the country, providing economically viable pumping of raw and processed energy resources and performing the functions of the distribution system.

The main advantages of this method of delivery of liquid and gaseous energy resources include the possibility of universal pipeline laying; Low cost of transportation; Preservation of the exceptional quality of raw materials due to the ideal tightness of the mainline; Low capital and material intensity; Full automation of all processes of filling, pumping, transportation and discharge of raw materials; Small number of staff; High environmental performance of the system.

Pipeline transport is a collection of highways of thick steel pipes, whose diameter is about 1500 mm, laid to a depth of two and a half meters. Oil pipelines are necessarily equipped with special high-tech equipment for degassing, heating and dehydration of crude oil. Pumping stations are installed at every hundred and fifty kilometers to maintain the required pressure in the pipeline system.

Today, the total length of the pipeline mains in Russia is more than 217 thousand kilometers. This system transports all produced gas, 99% of crude oil directly from the place of production, more than half of the total volume of refined products. Pipeline transport in Russia is developing at a rapid pace. In particular, it is planned to lay several new highways in the direction of the Caspian region and the Persian Gulf for the delivery of domestic oil products to the vast Pacific-Asian markets.