Gazprom prepares for winter

MOSCOW, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Gazprom executives commissioned the Kasimovskoye UGS-Voskresensk CS gas trunkline in Moscow in preparation for the winter heating season.

Alexei Miller, the chief executive officer of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, led a delegation in Moscow to take part in celebrations for the inauguration of the 127-mile pipeline from the Kasimovskoye underground gas station to the Voskresensk compressor station.

The gas system has the capacity to transmit 4.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which Gazprom says eliminates demand problems during cold winter months.

Gas pressure dropped substantially during the 2005-2006 winter period, which was one of the coldest in recent years.

"The trunkline will provide highly reliable and uninterrupted gas supply to Moscow and its suburbs," said Miller.

Construction on the pipeline took place between 2005 and 2009 and includes a series of underground crossings.