Fall/winter season readiness meeting at Gazprom
Release
Alexander Ananenkov, Acting Chairman, Gazprom Management Committee, conducted a 2003 – 2004 fall/winter season (the fourth quarter of 2003, and the first quarter of 2004) corporate preparedness meeting.
Mikhail Akselrod, Member of Gazprom Management Committee, Head, Deraptment of Capital Construction and Transportation, Bogdan Budzulyak, Member of Gazprom Management Committee, Head, Department of Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization, the company’s management and affiliated companies’ executives participated in the meeting.
Natural gas production will increase to 287.3 billion cubic meters in the upcoming fall/winter season. This is an increase of 2.3 billion cubic meters over the same period of 2002–2003. Zapolyarnoye field production facilities expansion accounts for most of the increase. According to plans, the consumers in Russia will be supplied 216.1 billion cubic meters of gas in the fourth quarter of 2003 and the first quarter of 2004.
In the seven months of 2003, Gazprom affiliates invested RUR 5 billion into the gas supply system renovation.756.8 km of gas trunk pipelines, 102 gas distribution stations and other facilities of the united gas supply system were overhauled, and pipe flaw detection was conducted on 12,640 km of pipelines.
The maintenance measures resulted in a 25% decrease in the united gas pipeline facilities failures.
As of August 4, 2003, 30.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas was pumped into Russia’s underground storage facilities. According to plans, this figure is to reach 62 billion cubic meters by the beginning of fall/winter season.
The meeting results include the adoption of specific measures, and the corresponding Gazprom departments’ and affiliates’ management is designated to implement them in the course of preparation for the upcoming fall/winter season.
Background
In the first seven months of 2003, Gazprom supplied 218.2 billion cubic meters of gas to customers in Russia, 7.9 billion more than previously planned, and 11.9 billion more compare to the same period in 2002. As of August 1, 2003, foreign customers were supplied 82.1 billion cubic meters of gas, 1.8 billion more than previously planned, and 6.4 billion more compared to the same volume in 2002. CIS and Baltic countries supplies amounted to 54.9 billion cubic meters of gas. Gazprom will transit 23 billion cubic meters of gas from Central Asian countries within the first seven months of 2003.
Information Directorate, OAO Gazprom