A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee and Vladimir Semashko, First Vice Premier of the Republic of Belarus has taken place today at Gazprom’s Headquarters.

The parties addressed issues of bilateral cooperation in the gas sector, placing a focus on Russian gas supply to and transit via Belarus in 2006. Alexey Miller and Vladimir Semashko highly appreciated the work being done to complete the construction of the Orshanskaya and Minskaya compressor stations and bring Yamal-Europe’s Belarusian section to a nominal capacity. Gazprom confirmed its readiness to pipe gas to Belarus under a contract sealed for 2005.

On the initiative of the Belarusian side, the meeting renewed discussions with regard to the foundation of a joint gas transmission venture on the platform of Beltransgaz for the purpose of enhancing the reliability of gas exports through Belarus.

Reference:

On 30 December 2004 Gazprom and Beltransgaz entered into a Gas Sales and Transit Agreement over 2005. In pursuance of the Agreement, Gazprom will provide Belarus with 19.1 bcm of gas worth of $46.68 per 1,000 m?, with extra supplies up to 1.4 bcm to be effected to the Republic provided there is sufficient gas transmission capacity available.

The tariffs for gas transmission by the Beltransgaz-owned networks and Gazprom’s Yamal-Europe pipeline will account for $0.75 and $0.46 per 1,000 m?, respectively.

On 5 December 2003 Gazprom and Beltransgaz sealed an Agreement to restructure Belarus’ $75.33 mln gas debt arisen in 1999, 2001 and 2002. Said arrears are cleared in strict compliance with the schedule.

The Northern Tyumen Region (NTR) – Torzhok and Yamal-Europe gas pipelines are projected to link northern Tyumen’s fields with West Europe and will exceed a total of 4,000 km.

Yamal-Europe’s Belarusian section is 575-km-long, with the pipeline transmission part and the Nesvizhskaya, Krupskaya and Slonimskaya compressor stations already operational. To bring Yamal-Europe to its nominal capacity, another two Orshanskaya and Minskaya compressor stations are slated for commissioning.

Gazprom and Beltransgaz entered into an Investment Agreement for the construction of Yamal-Europe’s extension in Belarus on 25 February 2004.

Under the Agreement, Gazprom and Beltransgaz are serving as the project investor and customer, respectively.