Construction of the Olonets-Pitkyaranta gas pipeline has begun in Karelia. The new branch will allow switching almost 3 thousand houses to natural gas, as well as connecting to it one of the largest enterprises in the region - Pitkyaranta PPM, said the head of the republic Artur Parfenchikov on his VKontakte page.

"Today the construction of the Olonets - Pitkyaranta gas pipeline has started: the first pipe joint has been welded. This is the most important object for the republic. A new 122 km line will bring gas to Pitkyarantu, the Salmi settlement, the villages of Uuksu and Räimyala. As a result, almost 3,000 households will be gasified. The city-forming enterprise RK-Grand will also be connected to the gas distribution system, - he wrote.

The laying of the gas pipeline will allow gasification of the already built heat supply facilities: for example, in Pitkyaranta, instead of the fuel oil boiler house that heats the city now, they will be put into operation new - on natural gas. Gasification of the pulp and paper mill is important given the plans of the plant for a large-scale modernization of production. Earlier it was reported that the company, which recently celebrated 100th anniversary, starts the construction of a new wood-processing plant, which will increase production volumes from 110 thousand tons of products per year to 130 thousand tons.

"The government will provide maximum assistance in resolving all issues so that the construction of networks proceeds promptly," the press service of the government of Karelia quotes the words of the Minister of Construction, Housing and Utilities and Energy of the Republic Viktor Rossypnov.

The contractors are planning to complete the construction of a new branch of the gas pipeline in 2023. In total, 19 inter-settlement gas pipelines, five branch pipelines and gas distribution stations will be built in Karelia under the gas supply and gasification development program at the expense of PJSC Gazprom. This will create conditions for the transition to gas for 18 thousand households in 72 settlements, as well as gasification of 84 boiler houses.

TASS