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On 25-26 April 2003, Gazprom’s delegation headed by Alexander Ananenkov, Gazprom’s Management Committee Deputy Chairman, visited machine-building plants delivering their production to Gazprom.
Gazprom’s specialists visited NPO Saturn in Rybinsk (Yaroslavl region) as well as Kirovsky Zavod (Kirov Machine-Building Plant), Zvezda-Energetika, Nevsky Zavod (Nevsky Plant), Kompressorny Komplex, Alstom Power Nevsky, Novaya Era, Sistema-Service state pension foundation and Keramicheskiye dvigateli (Boiko’s Research Center for Ceramic Engines) in St. Petersburg. These companies develop and manufacture gas compressor units, power plants, electro-technical devices and instrumentation. During the meeting, Gazprom’s officials met top managers of these plants.
The objective of the visit is to assess technological and technical capabilities of the Rybinsk and St. Petersburg plants and to determine the outlook for further cooperation between the largest gas company, Gazprom, and Russian manufacturers.
Mr Ananenkov said Gazprom intended to increase natural gas production. This year the Company plans to produce 531.7 bcm of natural gas and to surpass this figure by additional 10 bcm next year.
As far as long-term prospective is concerned, Gazprom’s Management Committee Deputy Chairman stressed that the Company would be able to produce 570-590 bcm of natural gas by 2020 and 610-630 bcm of natural gas by 2030. Independent producers are also expected to build-up their gas output. Moreover, gas purchase volumes from Central Asia have to grow.
In this respect, rehabilitation and upgrading of the United Gas Transmission System and the construction of new gas transmission and gas production facilities is becoming a top priority task for the Company. To attain the goal, a number of orders placed by the Company with machine-building plants will be increased. In particular, Mr Ananenkov stressed that, in accordance with the Complex Program on Upgrading and Technical Refurbishment of Gas Transmission Facilities Up to 2006 adopted by Gazprom in 2002, the Company, on average, should annually replace 150-170 gas compressor units (GCU).
Besides, Gazprom’s delegation got acquainted with LNG production process at the Lentransgaz company. For the time being, LNG is used for gas supply to the Lenindrad region’s industrial and residential consumers located far away from gas mains. In the shot run, Gazprom intends to build up LNG output from 5,500 to 50,000 t per annum and to master production in various regions of the country.
Summarizing the results of the visit, Alexander Ananenkov pointed out that, given the increasingly growing competition in the market for machinery, many companies involved in this industry were taking steps on technological process upgrading and modernization and on implementing recent computer-aided technologies.
“In choosing the suppliers, Gazprom has always oriented on Russian manufacturers and intends to continue this practice in future. At the same time, we will put great emphasis on the quality of the equipment manufactured and on strict fulfillment of contractual obligations in respect to the delivery terms”, Mr Ananenkov is quoted as saying.
Gazprom’s experts plan to visit major machine-building plants cooperating with the Company, by late May. The next visit is scheduled for May, 7. The Company’s delegation will be familiarized with the business activity of machine-building plants located in the Moscow region’s towns of Naro-Fominsk and Podolsk as well as in the town of Alexin in the Tula region.