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VLADIVOSTOK, March 6, vladivostoktimes.com The Declaration of Intentions on the construction the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipe Two (ESPO-II) in Priamurye was presented in Khabarovsk on March 5.

The project was presented in the Khabarovsk Territory Government. It was attended by representatives of executive authorities, leaders of municipalities where the pipe will be laid, ecologists, leaders of transport and industrial enterprises of the region.

As the Territory Government reports, the General Director on the ESPO (a part of Transneft) Sergey SERGEYEV said that the construction is based on long-term state policy of power industry development of Russia till 2020. The pipe will transport oil from Western and, more importantly, Eastern Siberia.

Construction of the pipe will be supposedly carried out in two stages: from Taishet to Skovorodino (ESPO) and from Skovorodino to Kozmino (ESPO-II). The route of the second stage has been generally defined. There were two possible variants for ESPO-II layout: Northern and Southern, differing by 60 km. according to Mr. SERGEYEV, the final choice was made for the lengthier Southern route (1,963 km).

The pipe will be laid along the Trans-Siberian Railway in the Irkutsk and Amur Areas, the Jewish Autonomous Area, and the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories. The route's length in the Khabarovsk Territory is 247 km. The pipe will be laid further south to the city of Khabarovsk through the Khabarovsk, Vyazemskiy, Bikin, and Lazo Districts. Five oil pumping stations are planned to be built in the Territory.

The areas where the pipe will lie will get prerequisites for economic and social development, new jobs, opportunities to create new industries. As Transneft forecasts, up to half of the local labour force will be used in construction of the pipe. Special attention will be paid to ecology and minimizing negative effects on the environment.

As Mr. SEGEYEV said, the ESPO-II project is estimated to cost 320-330 billion Rubles in 2006 prices. It will take at least four years to finish the project