MSi Kenny to design modelling subsystem for Gazprom's Gryazovets - Vyborg gas trunkline in Russia

HOUSTON, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Wood Group Kenny company MSi Kenny has been awarded a contract by Gazprom Avtomatizatsiya (Gazprom) to provide a modelling subsystem for the Portovaya compressor station (CS Portovaya) on the Russian coast of the Baltic Sea. The compressor station is part of the Gryazovets – Vyborg gas trunkline, which will improve gas supply in Russia's Northwest region and feed Russian gas to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline.

The modelling subsystem will comprise an engineering and operations simulator (EOS) for offline simulation and a gas management system (GMS) for monitoring and optimizing compressor station operations to meet operational requirements for the Nord Stream pipeline. The project will result in the most geographically extensive gas transmission simulation models ever to be implemented by MSi Kenny, and will be based on an expanded version of the modelling software used by the Nord Stream Pipeline Company. This will enable Gazprom to optimize compressor operations while still achieving optimal pipeline inventory and operating conditions.

"The 366 megawatt Portovaya compressor station will secure gas transmission across the 1200 km length of the Nord Stream Pipeline and eliminates the need for additional compressor stations," stated Michael Mai, president and CEO of MSi Kenny. "MSi Kenny is pleased to be developing the modelling subsystem that will help to ensure its safe and efficient operation, which will be critical to ensuring consistent supply of Russian gas to Europe and Northwest Russia."

Notes to editors
Wood Group is an international energy services company with $6bn sales, employing more than 41,000 people worldwide and operating in 50 countries. The Group has three businesses - Engineering, Wood Group PSN and Wood Group GTS - providing a range of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul and repair services to the oil & gas, and power generation industries worldwide.  www.woodgroup.com

Wood Group Kenny is the world's largest independent specialist subsea, pipeline and riser engineering and management contractor employing more than 2300 people worldwide, part of international energy services company, Wood Group. Wood Group Kenny comprises five companies –

• WGIM - an independent engineering, management and software company, specialising in all-of-asset integrity assurance with extensive materials engineering resources, service life prediction and inspection management expertise in the oil & gas petrochemicals, power, mining & mineral processing.
• J P Kenny - one of the world's leading independent subsea and pipeline organisations, operates from 11 locations worldwide and provides its clients with solutions that range from the planning stage through to procurement, fabrication, construction management, commissioning and operations support services.
• MCS Kenny - a world leader in compliant riser design with an extensive track record across all riser types and water depths. This includes flexible risers, steel catenary risers, hybrid steel-flexible risers, and top tensioned risers for both floating production and floating drilling platforms. The company also provides advanced structural analysis, software and technology development capabilities for subsea and pipeline facilities.
• MSi Kenny - a leading flow assurance and process optimisation engineering and software company
• SgurrEnergy - a leading renewable energy consultancy
  www.woodgroupkenny.com

Gazprom is one of Russia's five largest oil and gas producers and the largest owner of power generating assets. Gazprom holds the world's largest natural gas reserves and it accounts for 15 and 78 per cent of the global and Russian gas output, respectively. A reliable supplier of gas to Russian and foreign consumers, Gazprom owns the world's largest gas transmission network, the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia with a total length of over 161 thousand kilometers. Gazprom sells more than half of overall produced gas to Russian consumers and exports gas to more than 30 countries within and beyond the former Soviet Union. www.gazprom.com

The Portovaya Compressor Station will be part of the 900 kilometer Gryazovets – Vyborg gas trunkline used to transport gas from Russia's unified gas supply system to the Nord Stream gas pipeline, supplying consumers in Europe and Russia's Northwestern region. The Gryazovets – Vyborg trunkline will have a design capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year. The Portovaya Compressor Station will be a unique gas transmission facility in terms of capacity (366 MW) and operating pressure (220 Ata).  It will transport gas over 1,200 kilometers via the Nord Stream gas pipeline, with subsequent delivery to onshore pipelines in Germany, while eliminating the need for additional compressor stations. The Portovaya Compressor Station will comprise eight gas pumping units and is designed to dehydrate 120 million cubic meters of natural gas per day.

Nord Stream is a natural gas pipeline that links Russia and the European Union through the Baltic Sea. It is a joint project involving five major companies: OAO Gazprom, Wintershall Holding GmbH (a BASF subsidiary), E.ON Ruhrgas AG, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie and GDF SUEZ. The European Union's annual natural gas imports in 2009 were approximately 312 billion cubic metres (bcm) and are projected to increase to over 523 bcm by 2030. By then, the EU will need additional gas imports of 211 bcm per year (Source: IEA, 2011). Nord Stream will meet more than a quarter of this additional gas import requirement by connecting the European gas pipeline network to some of the world's largest gas reserves. The project will be an important contribution to long-term security of supply and a milestone of the energy partnership between the European Union and Russia.

SOURCE Wood Group