Pipeline network Transport in the Soviet Union

a soviet stamp dedicated urengoy–pomary–uzhgorod pipeline

the soviet union had, @ height, pipeline network of 82,000 kilometres (51,000 mi) crude oil , 206,500 kilometres (128,300 mi) natural gas. soviet authorities, under leonid brezhnev, began focusing on national pipeline system in 1970s. soviet pipelines experienced fast growth in 1970s; late 1970s pipeline network largest in world. average moving distance oil , natural gas increased 80 km in 1970 1,910 km in 1980, , 2,350 in 1988. many other sectors of soviet economy, bad maintenance led deterioration. late 1980s 1,500 km pipelines under maintenance, half of minimally needed. also, storage facilities inadequate handle growing soviet oil supply. failures in pipelines network became, in 1980s, common feature of system. oil pipeline ruptures @ oil fields increasing all-time high in 1990 , reached 15 percent failure rate year alone.

among better known pipelines northern lights line komi petroleum deposit brest on polish border, soiuz line running orenburg uzhgorod near czechoslovak , hungarian borders, , export pipeline urengoy gas field l vov , thence first world countries, including austria, italy, west germany, france, belgium, , netherlands. 1,420-millimeter export pipeline 4,451 kilometers long. crossed ural , carpathian mountains , 600 rivers, including ob , volga, don, , dnepr. had 41 compressor stations , yearly capacity of 32 billion cubic meters of natural gas.