The program for repairing Druzhba oil pipeline is to take a year and a half and to start this autumn, Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Environmental, Technological and Atomic Watchdog Boris Krasnykh announced at a news conference at REGNUM press center.

According to Krasnykh, after an accident on the pipeline last July, pressure was lowered by almost five times "taking into account possible characteristics of the metal." He reminded that the accident was caused by endurance failure of the metal. By this April, an examination of sections of the pipeline was conducted. Upon its results, an action plan was established to fix the deficiencies and violations found. At the same time, the Rostekhnadzor deputy head stressed that "if Transneft company wants to increase pressure in the pipe and start increasing amount of oil pumped, we would claim that all requirements are fulfilled that were found during the examination of the pipeline."

As it was reported before, the accident and oil spill took place at Druzhba pipeline in Bryansk Region, occurred late July, 2006. As a result of the accident, oil stopped coming to Mazeikiu Nafta oil processing plant in Lithuania (a commission of Rosprirodnadzor - Russian environmental watchdog instructed Druzhba Main Oil Pipeline Company to lower pressure in the pipes by five times to rule out oil spilling to water objects). As a result of lower pressure, oil does not reach Mazeikiu Nafta that has to transport oil via a terminal in Butinge.
sections: Economics