The Dzuarikau–Tskhinvali pipeline is a natural gas pipeline running from the village of Dzuarikau in North Ossetia to Tskhinvali

Tskhinvali

Tskhinvali , is the capital of South Ossetia, a disputed region which has been recognised as an independent Republic by Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Nauru, and is regarded by Georgia and the rest of the world as part of the Shida Kartli region within Georgian sovereign territory.It is located...

, South Ossetia

South Ossetia

South Ossetia or Tskhinvali Region is a disputed region and partly recognized state in the South Caucasus, located in the territory of the South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast within the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....

. Construction started in 2006, and gas supplies are expected to start in September, 2009.

History

Construction of the pipeline was planned for a long time and it started in December 2006. It was launched on 26 August 2009.

Previously, South Ossetia was supplied from the Agara-Tskhinvali leg of the Tbilisi-Kutaisi trunk system of Georgia

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

. After the Georgian-Ossetian conflict

Georgian-Ossetian conflict

The Georgian–Ossetian conflict refers to the ethno-political conflict in Georgia's autonomous region of South Ossetia, which evolved in 1989 and developed into a 1991–1992 South Ossetia War. Despite a declared ceasefire and numerous peace efforts, the conflict remains unresolved, and minor armed...

, supplies to South Ossetia from Georgia were cut-off. According to Georgia, the cause was a damaged section of the pipeline within South Ossetia, while Russia Moscow denied the damage and accused Georgia on the deliberate cutoff. Supplies were restored only in January 2009.

Technical description

The length of the pipeline is 162.3 kilometres (100.8 mi) and it has capacity of 252.5 million cubic meters of natural gas per year. The diameter of the pipeline is 426 millimetres (16.8 in). Around 70.2 kilometres (43.6 mi) of the pipeline is in South Ossetian territory. The pipeline passes through mountainous regions with a maximum altitude of 3148 metres (10,328.1 ft) above sea level. It has been reported that the pipeline may be the located the highest in the world. The cost of construction was 15 billion rubles (US$476 million). The pipeline is operated by Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol, a subsidiary of Gazprom

Gazprom

Open Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...

. It was built by Stroyprogress.

Political significance

The pipeline was said to be important for the de-facto independence of South Ossetia, because it "shakes off the last levers exerted by its unfriendly neighbour." The Georgian foreign ministry has strongly protested against the launch of the new pipeline.