Nippon Steel Gets 130,000 tonnes Line Pipe Order for Australian Gas Project

Nippon Steel announced on Thursday the firm got around 20 billion yen order to supply around 130,000 tonnes of line pipe for Australian sea bottom liquid natural gas pipeline, Pluto project. The firm supplies around 120,000 tonnes of UO welded pipe and around 10,000 tonnes of electric resistance welded pipe through Mitsui & Co. Submarine gas field development increases around Australia, especially in gas rich northwest continental shelf when gas demand expands as cleaner energy worldwide. Australian largest energy firm, Woodside Petroleum develops Pluto project to build submarine pipeline with 180 kilometers length to transport gas to LNG base on the land. Nippon Steel provides X60 American Petroleum Institute grade UO pipe with 20 and 36 inches diameter for main pipeline. The firm also supplies ERW pipe with 6 inches for monoethylene glycol (MEG) transport. The pipeline uses usually seamless pipe for MEG but Nippon Steel succeeded to get the order due to high reliability for the ERW. The firm supplies the pipe from end of 2007 to autumn 2008. Submarine pipeline needs high performance steel pipe and the high grade pipe suppliers are limited in the world. Nippon Steel succeeded to get the order from Woodside Petroleum after 20,000 tonnes order in 2006 due to the high credibility for the quality and delivery.