Vallourec, world leader in premium tubular solutions, hosted on 13 September the inauguration ceremony for the extension of its pipe plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China. Commissioned in 2006, V & M Changzhou was until now exclusively dedicated to the finishing of seamless pipes for power plants. The extension will enlarge the offer of the plant, enabling local production and finishing of premium seamless pipes for power generation and other industrial applications.

In the presence of Ms. Sylvie Bermann, French Ambassador to China, Mr. Zhang Weiguo, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province, and Mr. Dai Yuan, Vice Party Secretary of Changzhou City, Philippe Crouzet, Chairman of Vallourec’s Management Board, stated, "This project marks a new step in Vallourec’s industrial presence in China. We are positioning ourselves to be able to accompany our Chinese customers over the long-term in the development of the country’s power generation capacities. Our plant will benefit from the quality of our local partnerships, established through our presence in China of more than 100 years."

China should represent around 50% of the new global coal-fired power generation capacity to be built by 2020. The development of more efficient, supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plants is a priority for China which in its 12th Five-Year Plan for 2011-2015 has fixed ambitious targets to reduce its energy and carbon intensity.

With the extension, which has already generated more than 200 jobs, V & M Changzhou will be dedicated to the production of large diameter, premium seamless pipes, specifically designed to meet the needs of the new generation of supercritical and ultra-supercritical power plants as well as other industrial applications. The technology used is proprietary to Vallourec. 

Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets, as well as other industrial applications. In 2011, Vallourec sales amounted to €5.3 billion.

With over 22,000 employees, integrated manufacturing facilities, advanced R&D, and presence in more than 20 countries, Vallourec offers its customers innovative global solutions to meet the growing energy challenges of the 21st century.