Russian steel works, Nord Stream to sign contract.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian Vyksa Steel
Works and Nord Stream AG are expected to sign on Thursday a contract for
the supply of pipes for the second stage of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
The plant in Nizhny Novgorod, which is part of the United
Metallurgical Company, has become the only Russian supplier of pipes,
winning an international tender. It will account for 25 percent of the
cost of the contract, sources from the plant's press service told Tass.
German Europipe and Japanese Sumitomo will have 65 percent and ten percent
accordingly.
According to the plan, the plant will begin supplying pipes of big
diameter in May. The total amount of supplies is over 207,000 tons. In
2008-2009 Russian metallurgists supplied for the first leg of Nord Stream
about 265,000 tons of pipes produced in line with the international
standard of the Norwegian company Det Norske Veritas. The Vyksa Steel
Works was the first in Russia and CIS states company to begin producing
pipes in accordance with world standards for the construction of oil and
gas pipelines on continental shelves.
The United Metallurgical Company is one of the biggest Russian
producers of pipes. It includes the Vyksa Steel Works in the Nizhny
Novgorod region, the Almetyevsk Pipe Plant in Tatarstan and the Turbodetal
plant in the Chelyabinsk region.
Nord Stream Company is the operator of the Nord Stream project. The
project is a natural gas offshore pipeline from Vyborg in Russia to
Greifswald in Germany on the Baltic Sea floor. It will run across
exclusive economic zones of Finland, Sweden and Denmark and will become
one of the longest sea pipelines in the world - 1,220 kilometres.
The first leg of the pipeline is to be built in 2010-2011 and the
second one in 2011-2012. The first gas delivery is scheduled for late 2011.

.Over 900 buildings to be renovated in Vladivostok for APEC summit.

VLADIVOSTOK, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - Facades of over 900 buildings
will be renovated in Russia's Vladivostok for an APEC summit that the city
will host in 2012, sources from the Vladivostok city administration told
Tass on Thursday.
A program worked out by the city authorities is expected to fully
renovate the image of the city for the summit. Not only facades will be
renovated, but also city roads and sidewalks will undergo capital repairs.
Public gardens will be restored, and even new manholes will be installed.
According to the head of the city administration, Igor Pushkaryov, all
architectural features of the buildings and even the local colour of
Vladivostok will be taken into consideration during reconstruction work.
All in all, 2.5 billion roubles will be allocated from the federal
budget for that aim. The first stage of work will be completed by the
150th anniversary of the city that will be marked next July. Then
renovation work will continue.

.Sollers cars to be bought for Vladivostok APEC summit construction.

VLADIVOSTOK, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - Vehicles of Sollers Company
will be bought for construction facilities for the APEC summit in
Vladivostok.
Fiat Ducato minibuses and UAZ Patriot off-road vehicles will be used
on the Russky Island off Vladivostok to bring workers and specialists to
construction sites, the press service of the Far Eastern directorate of
the Russian Ministry for Regional Development told Tass on Thursday.
According to its top official, Yevgeny Severin, Sollers vehicles have
already proved themselves be very good for travels on the island. Now
specialists consider the purchase of construction hardware from that
producer. In particular, Sollers offers a big choice of ISUZU construction
machines.
Part of the vehicles will be assembled at the Sollers plant in
Vladivostok. That car assembly was launched on December 29, 2009. At first
the plant will produce SsangYong off-road vehicles and ISUZU trucks. At
the first stage the car assembly will produce 10,000 vehicles a year,
while in the future it plans to produce up to 30,000 vehicles a year.
Vehicles will be sold not only in the Far East, but also in Siberia
and western regions of the country. In the second half of the year the
plant will begin producing light commercial vehicles on the basis of Fiat
Ducato, adapted to conditions of the Far East.

.Two killed, 13 injured in road accident in eastern Moscow.

MOSCOW, February 25 (Itar-Tass) - Two people were killed and 13 were
injured when a passenger minibus collided with a car in eastern Moscow
early on Thursday, an officer on duty from the city police department told
Itar-Tass.
He said the road accident occurred at about 5:30 am, when a Gazel
minibus and a Daewoo Nexia car collided at a crossroads. "The driver and
the passenger of Daewoo died at the site, and 13 occupants of the minibus
were injured," the officer said.
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