Moscow has hosted today sessions of the International Gas Union (IGU) Working Committees (WOCs).

The ceremony was opened by a plenary meeting held at Gazprom’s Headquarters. Peter Storm, IGU Secretary General, Bogdan Budzulyak, Gazprom’s Management Committee Member and Head of Gazprom’s Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department, Bert Panman, IGU Coordination Committee Chairman, Valery Yazev, President of the non-profit company Russian Gas Society and Rob Aptroot, IGU Coordination Committee Secretary delivered their reports at the meeting.

In presenting his report on the Major Objectives of the Domestic Gas Industry Comprehensive Development Under the Russia’s Energy Strategy, Bogdan Budzulyak underscored that the Russia’s Energy Strategy to 2020 tasked the domestic fuel and power industry with meeting the following key challenges: bolstering by fuel and power supplies a sustainable and progressive economic expansion in Russia and implementing a range of measures that would foster the two-fold GDP energy intensity reduction.

To fulfill said tasks, the Energy Strategy stipulates the fuel and power industry dynamic development and domestic primary energy production growth.

Natural gas and Gazprom will remain to be the backbones of the fuel and energy domestic demand and gas industry, respectively. Bogdan Budzulyak emphasized that, over the past years, the Company had been undergoing sustainable development and realizing its growth potential through yearly gas extraction build-ups and projections to achieve the 580-590 bcm/y production target by 2020. For this purpose, Gazprom intends to develop new gas production provinces including on the Yamal Peninsula, in Eastern Siberia, the Far East and the Arctic offshore.

At the same time, Gazprom places special emphasis on the gas transmission system expansion and the Company’s consistent approach to upgrading existing and constructing new facilities makes it possible to enhance the Russia’s United Gas Transmission System (UGTS) operability and development efficiency.

Until 2030, compressor stations and pipeline sections are forecast to be upgraded by 40.5 mln kW and 50 thou km, respectively.

“Meeting the Energy Strategy challenges is a crucial governmental objective. To successfully achieve it, we should join forces and financial capacities of the State, investors and international community,” – said Bogdan Budzulyak in conclusion.

WOCs sessions will be taking place until April 14. Over the 3-day period, IGU WOC 2 - Gas Storage, WOC 3 - Gas Transmission and WOC 4 - Gas Distribution will be convening on sessions as well as attending seminars dedicated to the Gas Supply Security by Pipelines and UGS Facilities, Corrosion and Gas Pipeline Integrity. The participants will pay a visit to Gazprom’s Central Dispatch Management Center as well as Mezhregiongaz and Mostransgaz’s facilities.

Reference:

Founded in 1931, the International Gas Union (IGU) is an international non-governmental organization representing a major center for the gas industry worldwide experience analysis and generalization.

IGU is mainly focused on organizing uninterrupted experience sharing, searching for new effective methods of work, developing advanced technical ideas and original technological solutions. IGU currently unites gas associations and companies from 67 countries of the world.

Russia became IGU member back in 1957, with Gazprom being its Charter Member and Russian Gas Society along with Independent Gas Producers’ Union, its Associate Members.

The World Gas Congress (WGC) is IGU’s most crucial forum. In June 2003, Tokyo hosted the XXII WGC and the XXIII WGC will take place in June 2006 in Amsterdam.

Gazprom has brought forward an initiative to hold the XXV WGC due 2012 in Moscow.

Gazprom’s representatives are involved in the activities of the 5 Working and 4 Programme Committees of IGU. Responsible for the identification of underground gas storage development prospects and trends, the Underground Gas Storage Committee (founded in 2000) is chaired by Sergey Khan, Head of Gazprom’s Underground Gas Storage Division.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA