A meeting of the Gazprom Sci-Tech Council (STC) took place today in Saint Petersburg in the course of the III St. Petersburg International Gas Forum. The meeting was moderated by Alexey Miller Chairman of the Company's Management Committee and Chairman of the Gazprom STC. Participating in the meeting were representatives of Gazprom and its subsidiary companies, scientific and business communities.

“Gazprom is a modern high-tech company with a strong scientific and research base, able to develop and implement its own innovative solutions. Aspiring to become a leader in the global energy market, we carry out the most complex projects in the regions with unique environmental and climatic conditions.

These activities require the most cutting-edge technologies as sophisticated as the space ones. With a view to create them, we suggest mobilizing the Russian scientific potential – first of all, that of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and combining it with the knowledge and experience of Gazprom. Along with this, we are highly interested in innovative solutions helpful in mitigating adverse environmental impacts,” said Alexey Miller.

The meeting participants discussed possible areas of cooperation between Gazprom and the Russian Academy of Sciences. As part of the discussion, a presentation was made with regard to the innovative potential of the Russian Academy of Sciences key developments and their implementation mechanisms.

The meeting paid special attention to innovations in ecology It was noted that Gazprom's production activities had a direct impact on the environment. Being aware of its high responsibility in the area of environmental and climatic protection, the Company persists in ensuring environmental safety at the level of the highest international standards. The declaration of 2013 to be the Year of Ecology in Gazprom was an important part of these activities.

In this regard, a number of solutions to protect and improve the environment were presented at the meeting. In particular, the discussion addressed a presentation on the prospects for using the natural gas potential in developing hydrogen technologies, inter alia, as a hydrogen source. In this way, the methane-hydrogen mixture use as a fuel for gas turbine units helps to considerably reduce air emissions. Moreover, the hydrogen addition to the NGV fuel makes car vehicles more efficient and eco-friendly.

The meeting participants listened as well to presentations on the energy saving technology for on-site treatment of natural gases and on the laser technology use for dealing with oil blowouts and spills on top of ice.

Summarizing the meeting results, the STC recommended continuing the development of innovative solutions in ecology, primarily, the technologies for natural gas use as a hydrogen source for auxiliary power plants, car vehicles and gas turbine units.

The Council recommended as well that suggestions be prepared on the use of the Russian Academy of Sciences developments for Gazprom's benefit.

Background

The Gazprom Sci-Tech Council (STC) was established for building a unified innovative and sci-tech policy of the Company.

The Council comprises the Bureau and 15 specialized subpanels, the focus areas of which cover the entire technological process from field exploration to gas and its derivatives supply to consumers.

The Council members are representatives of the Gazprom administration, production subsidiary companies and industry institutes as well as reputable scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences.