OREANDA-NEWS. November 17, 2009. The Belarusian pipeline operator Gomeltransneft Druzhba plans to increase its reservoir capacity up to 550,000 cubic meters by 2014, the company’s Director General Sergei Sosnovsky told a press conference in Minsk.

At present the reservoir capacity stands at 275,000 cubic meters. The company is carrying out a large-scale program to increase the capacity by 2014. There are plans to build new modern installations that will meet all the necessary ecological and technical requirements.

In order to increase the reliability and safety of pipelines Gomeltransneft Druzhba specialists regularly perform inline inspections and repairs of pipelines. Special attention is paid to rebuilding underwater lines. The company also works hard to modernize pump stations. In 2010 the first-line pumps will be fully upgraded, largely reducing energy consumption.

The Director General remarked that every year Gomeltransneft Druzhba spends from USD 40 million to USD 50 million of proprietary funds on modernizing its facilities. Designed to run till 2010, the retooling program will result in virtually a new oil transportation system.

According to the source, the consistent remodeling enables high security and reliability of the enterprise. Over the last five years the company has had no major malfunctions, the accident risk is minimized, stressed Sergei Sosnovsky.