Page 16 - DIVA_1_2007_No.28

Unification of gas pipelines:

an on-going project

Interview with Sergei Kouzmine
UN Economic Commission for Europe

In these days when the are making a refrigerator, it gas comes from Siberia to
world in concentrating should correspond to a standard Ukraine to Poland and so on
on the energy issue, an -- size, energy consumption, etc. -- but the pipelines are not
important work of stan- If your product does not cor- exactly the same. The
dardization of different respond to this standard, you are moment the gas crosses a
stopping your industry from border, it flows through
gas pipelines is being
expanding because nobody will different pipes, how they are
carried out in Geneva,
buy it. placed, the diameter, security
more precisely at the
requirements, etc. In this
UN Economic Commis-
In the technology area, for globalized world, you need
sion for Europe (UN
instance, it is very important to to have the same require-
ECE). The person in
have standards as they allow ments.
charge of this impor-
products to be competitive and
tant work is Mr Serge! comparable. Standards can also We received a request from
Kouzmine, who kindly
be very useful to ensure safety the Russian union of
accepted to tell us measures, both for maintenance constructors of oil and gas
more about it all. workers and people who live pipelines because they have
with pipelines as "neighbours". different requirements from
the operators of these
Q: What are standards and In this modem world we talk pipelines. They came to see
why are they important? about certain standards which in us -- perhaps not to create a
principle are voluntary, and standard, but to set up a
There tends to be confusion regulations (primarily regarding forum where standards/
between standardized servi- safety aspects) set by govern- regulations can be discussed.
ces Ideally, if we reach agree-
and
standards.
ment which are mandatory.
"Standardized services" are
ment, it can be used as a tech-
something made especially Q: Why is standardization nical regulation in Russia
for you, whereas a "standard" important for the energy sec- and in other countries. It can
means the same conditions tor? be used as a voluntary
for everybody.
requirement for the safety of
Oil and gas are transported by pipelines for those countries
Why is this important? If you pipelines. Take one example: that do not want to have them
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