SOVIET NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION: SIBERIA-TO-WESTERN EUROPE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83T00574R000102550001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 1, 1982
• Content Type: REPORT

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/04: CIA-RDP83T00574R000102550001-3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/04: CIA-RDP83T00574R000102550001-3
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/04: CIA-RDP83T00574R000102550001-3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/03/04: CIA-RDP83T00574R000102550001-3
Top Secret R U FFI
SOVIET NATURAL GAS PIPELINE
CONSTRUCTION : SIBERIA-TO-WESTERN EUROPE (S)
INTRODUCTION
'1. (U) The Soviets plan to construct almost 13,000 nautical miles (nm) of large-diameter pipeline by
1985. Six 56-inch gas pipelines are planned. All will begin at the Urengoy gas fields, but each will
terminate in a different location. Five will serve domestic needs (Inset, Figure 1) and one, the 2,888-nm
Siberia-to-Western Europe natural gas pipeline (hereafter referred to as the export pipeline; Figure 1),
will supply Soviet natural gas to western Europe. Two of the five domestic pipelines will terminate in
Yelets. The others will terminate in Petrovsk, Novopskov, and Moscow. The export pipeline will terminate
in Uzhgorod, on the Czechoslovakian border.'
2. (S/WN) A preliminary analysis of selected imagery acquired from 25X1
=revealed that construction has been started on a major section of at least one of the five parallel 25X1
natural gas pipelines that will run from the Urengoy gas fields to the Perm area (58-00-59N 56-12-18E).
From Perm these pipelines, including the export pipeline, will branch off in several directions. Construc-
tion for at least one of the pipelines was observed from Ivdel (8*) to southeast of Perm (13). Construction
for either the Urgenoy-Yelets pipeline or the export pipeline was also observed between Algasovo (24)
and Yelets (27).
3. (U) This report contains seven annotated graphics, one ground photo, one location map, and two
tables.
DISCUSSION
9. (S/WN) Examples of construction along the lvdel-Perm section of the pipeline are shown in
Figures 4 and 5. The laying of pipe into a trench was underway south of Novaya-Lyalya (10; Figure 4) on[-] 75X1
4. (TSR) Imagery covering approximately 80 percent of the proposed route east of Perm was ac-
quired during the most recent search mission. However, only 5 percent of the central and western 25X1
portions of the route, from Perm to Uzhgorod, was imaged.
5. (TSR) Extensive construction was observed from along a 215-nm 25X1
section of the pipeline route from the limits of photography at 60-41-OON 060-31-37E, just northeast of
Ivdel (8), south-southwest to the limits of photography at 57-37-12N 057-24-35E, 40 nm southeast of Perm.
The construction included preparing of the pipeline right of way (mostly along the route of existing gas
pipelines), laying of pipe, and constructing at least four gas compressor stations.
6. (S/WN) A 125-nm section of intermittent pipeline construction, along which two compressor
stations were under construction, was observed during the reporting period. It was located in the middle
of the proposed export pipeline route from 53-36-06N 041-30-10E, near Algasovo (24), southwest to 52-35-
42N 038-24-34E, just southwest of Yelets (27). This construction is related either to the two domestic
pipelines from Urengoy to Yelets or to the export pipeline. Imagery-derived evidence that construction
has started was perhaps most promising at Yelets (Figure 2) and at Kazan. At Yelets, a compressor station
was under construction and pipeline construction was underway southwest of the station. At Kazan, large
pipeline storage areas and pipe, as well as ground scarring for probable compressor station site prepara-
tion were observed.
7. (S/WN) Seven compressor stations under construction (Table 1), three of which were in a late
stage of construction as of were present along these two sections of pipeline. The 25X1
compressor station just south of Biser was in the early stage of construction. However, the station is
located along an existing pipeline just northeast of its junction with the route of the new pipeline. On
account of the early construction status of the station, any association with the new pipeline has not yet
been determined.
8. (TSU) Ten of the 40 compressor stations along the export pipeline route are reportedly under
construction.2 These stations are listed on the export pipeline route map (Figure 1). Although four of the
five compressor stations under construction in the Ivdel-to-Perm section are at locations where export
compressor station construction activity is reportedly underway,2 it cannot be confirmed if they are for
the export pipeline. A Department of Defense report states that intensive construction activity for the
Urengoy-Novopskov domestic pipeline is underway in this area.3 In fact, because of the advanced stage
of construction of some of the compressor stations in this area, construction observed since late June
1980 between Ivdel and Perm is more likely to be a portion of the Urengoy-Novopskov domestic
pipeline. In addition, it has been reported that the compressor stations for the export pipeline intend to
use three large 25-megawatt compressors per station.4 The presence of 8 or 13 compressors at each of
these 5 stations indicates that a less powerful compressor is being used. The Gornozavodsk compressor
station (Figure 3) is typical of the other compressor stations observed under construction.
Teams of side-boom tractors were used to lower the pipe sections into the trench. Figure 5 25X1
shows these tractors laying pipe in western Siberia on an unrelated pipeline project.
25X1
25X1
*Numbers are keyed to Figure 1.
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Top Secret
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Top Secret RUFF
10. (S/WN) Several pipeline storage areas are along the pipeline route. A typical storage camp is
shown in Figure 6. At these camps, pipe is assembled into longer sections prior to being moved by
specialized pipe-hauling trucks to the emplacement site. Each camp contains a facility at which three
shorter pipe sections are welded together into one larger section. The pipe sections shown in Figure 6 are
56 inches in diameter, and the short stacked pipe sections are approximately 12 meters long. The long
pipe sections are approximately 36 meters long. These pipeline storage areas are usually established prior
to the start of pipeline construction and are useful indicators of future construction in an area.
11. (S/WN) Although forced labor/prison camps are in many of the larger towns along the Ivdel-
Perm pipeline segment, they were apparently providing labor for factory/plant construction, animal
husbandry, or forestry projects in these areas. No newly constructed forced labor/prison camps were
observed along the pipeline route. The forced labor/prison camp and its associated work projects closest
to the pipeline route were observed near lvdel (Figure 7). At that location, two small (one shown on
graphic) agriculture-related, forced labor projects (Figure 8) were adjacent to the new pipeline route.
Both were fence secured and contained a probable guard tower. Inside the fenceline were several
buildings for livestock. The laborers/prisoners for these projects are probably housed 3 nm away at the
camp in lvdel which includes barracks, a messhall, and an isolation area (Figure 9).
12. (S/WN) Support camps for pipeline and compressor station construction were also observed at
several locations along the pipeline route during the reporting period. These support camps consisted of
numerous house trailers, temporary buildings, and open storage for equipment and pipe. There was no
evidence of any security measures that would indicate that forced labor was being housed or used at
these camps. The use of forced labor on the pipeline project could not be confirmed or denied.
Table 1.
Compressor Stations Under Construction That Have Been Identified On Imagery
This table in its entirety is classified SECRET/WNINTEL
lvdel (8)
Coordinates
60-38-12N
Number of
Compressors
at least 8
Stage of
Construction
Late
Comments
Adjacent to existing
60-20-55E
compressor station
Krasnoturinsk (9)
59-48-32N
8
Early
60-14-32E
Biser
59-29-31 N
Unknown
Early
May not be related to
58-51-13E
pipelines under discussion
Novaya Lyalya (10)
58-59-35N
8
Mid
59-38-09E
Gornozavodsk (12)
58-21-05N
13
Late
58-25-48E
Chaplygin 53-11 -OON
6
Mid
near Staroyuryevo (25) 39-59-10E
52-35-42N
6
Late Adjacent to existing
38-24-34E
compressor station
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Top Secret IAR-0091/82
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Top Secret R U FF~
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,TIYURATAM
Item Town Nearest Station Coordinates
KURGAN ? _e r_--._
1 Urengoy
2 Nadym
3 Novokazym
4 0ktyabrskoye
5 Verkhyaya Konda
6 Komsomoziskiy
7 Pelym
8 Ivdel
9 Krasnoturinsk
10 Novaya Lyalya
11 Nizhnyaya Tura
12 Gornozavodsk
13 Perm
14 Okhansk
15 Chaykovskiy
16 Mozhga
17 Sosnovka
18 Arsk
19 Pomary
20 Krasnoarmeysk
21 Sechenovo
CENTRAL 23 Porbeye
23 Torbeyevo
24 Algasovo
25 Staroyuryevo
26 Lipetsk
27 Yelets
SARYSHAGAI 28 Cheremisinovo
29 Kursk
30 Glushkovo
31 Romny
32 Grebenka
33 Soriyevka
34 Stavishche
35 Ilintsy
37 Bar
IIMKE T 37 Gusyetin
38 Bogorodchany
NT 39 Golyatin
40 Uzhgorod
,v'PIC T4-656
65-57N 078.26E
65-34N 072-44E
d
63-40N 067-14E
62.28N 066-03E
61-41 N 064.28E
EME
61-18N 063.20E
61-01 N 062 01 E
60-38N 060-21 E
59-47N 060-16E
59-03N 060-36E
58-37N 059-49E
58.23N 058.19E
57-52N 056-19E
57-44N 055-1BE
56-47N 054-08E
56.27N 052-13E
56.15N 051-17E
56-OBN 049-52E
55.59N 048-21E
55-46N 047-1OE
55.13N 045-54E
54-42N 044.51 E
54-04N 043.15E
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53-41N041-40E
T
53.19N 04042E
52-36N 03935E
52-36N 03825E
ALTA
51-53N 037.15E
51-44N 036.11E
51.20N 034-38E
`
50-45N 033-28E
50-07N 032-27E
49-40N 032-OOE
49-23N 030-12E
49-07N 029-12E
49.04N 027-41E
49-04N 026-13E
"
~
48-48N 024-31 E
?
48-38N 023.26E
'
48-32N 022.18E
FIGURE 1. PROPOSED ROUTE OF SIBERIA-TO-WESTERN EUROPE 56-INCH NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. Inset shows
additional domestic routes of proposed 56-inch natural gas pipeline; drawing derived from referenced document 1.
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