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I N N O V AT I O N S • O C T O B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4
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EUROPE
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CASPIAN
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RUSSIA
Global
Perspective
City of Moscow.
Though the pace of economic recovery has impacted oil and gas
infrastructure investments within the region, renewed investment
is being stimulated by the European market’s desire to reduce its
dependence upon eastern energy sources. This desire has driven a
surge in new infrastructure developments and rehabilitation projects
to improve the versatility and flexibility of European assets. Such
versatility can potentially stress assets, especially aged ones,
leading to a need for more frequent, comprehensive and accurate
integrity assessments, asset uprating, and risk mitigation measures.
Within Russia there is a requirement to ensure uninhibited supply routes into Europe, often circumnavigating potential
political instability via offshore routes. Additionally, Russian producers wish to diversify their customer-base in order to
reduce their reliance on European consumers. This is evident in the historic energy agreement recently signed between
Russia and China, and the corresponding plans for major new pipeline infrastructure in eastern Siberia.
Technology plays a key role in these developments. With traditional compressor-spreads redundant in many of today’s
major deep-water projects – such as South Stream – operators require novel and effective flood-prevention measures. This
need has led to surging demand for solutions like SMARTLAY™ technology.
For an operator in this region to be considered a global player, they must attain consistent standards of pipeline integrity
and asset performance. This is driving increased demand for advanced pipeline integrity and intervention practices that can
leverage a steady return on long-term capital investments.
From Portugal to Ukraine, Norway to Siberia, across new assets and old, the year ahead will be an exciting one filled with
strategic partnerships to meet this region’s increasingly complex pressurized piping needs.
Johan Desaegher
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, T.D. WILLIAMSON