The Salzgitter Group will be delivering 270 km of large-diameter pipes and 1,559 pipe bends for construction of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is to transport natural gas from the Caspian area to Europe in the future. The total tonnage amounts to some 170,000 metric tons. Salzgitter Mannesmann International GmbH booked the order.
The large-diameter pipes - primarily measuring 48' - are to be manufactured by EUROPIPE GmbH, Mülheim, a joint venture of the Salzgitter Group and the AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke. The order will secure employment for several months. The shareholders of EUROPIPE will be supplying the pre-material.
The production of 1,559 pipe bends for the overall line of 870 km is the largest order ever in the history of the Mülheim based pipe bending plant of Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH. The order will ensure capacity utilization of the pipe bending plant for a year.
The order delivery will commence in January 2016.
In the future, TAP will transport natural gas from the Caspian region in connection with the TANAP line, currently under construction and extending from Greece through Albania and on to southern Italy.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG shareholders comprise BP (20%), SOCAR (20%), Statoil (20%), Fluxys (19%), Enagás (16%) and Axpo (5%). After the line has been completed, up to 20 billion cubic meters of gas are to be transported annually under the Caspian Sea from the 'Shah Deniz II' gas field to Europe.

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