Press centre

At the Nakhodka Fertilizer Plant construction site, the installation of the plant’s main pipelines is underway. Construction crews are using cutting-edge seam joining technology — automatic welding, employing 11 specialized welding machines.

This technology accelerates the welding process fourfold—a machine can weld a 610-millimeter pipe with 28-millimeter-thick walls in one hour. During this time, it completes eight full rotations. Each joint is the result of precise adjustments and a customized approach. In addition to reducing the time required, automatic welding, compared to manual welding, produces higher-quality results and reduces the risk of potential defects.

“All work is carried out under the supervision of the machine manufacturer. A representative from the plant was dispatched to Nakhodka for this. He trains welders on how to use the equipment and is constantly on the construction site, monitoring the quality of work,” NFP Executive Director Viktor Grebenyukov comments.

Each seam is under special supervision and scrutiny. To measure their quality, several stages of testing will be conducted, including digital radiography. This method helps identify the most microscopic instances of metal damage: cracks, pores, poor penetration, and lack of fusion.

Large-scale final works are currently underway at the construction site of the future industrial giant. Buildings are being constructed, installation of process equipment and steel structures is nearing completion, with gas pipeline works completed already. Construction of the plant will be completed this year. NFP will release its first batch of finished products in the first half of 2027. Once fully operational, the plant will produce 1.8 million tons of methanol annually.