Meeting of VNIIGAZ's Academic Council held

The Academic Council of the Research Institute of Natural Gases and Gas Technologies (VNIIGAZ) has convened on a Session dedicated to the Sustainability of Russia’s United Gas Transmission System (UGTS): Gas Transmission and Storage.

Attending the Session were Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee, Bogdan Budzulyak, Gazprom’s Management Committee Member and Head of Gazprom’s Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department, Rudolf Ter-Sarkisov, VNIIGAZ’s Director General and Chairman of its Academic Council, heads and specialists of Gazprom’s structural business units as well as researchers and developers from VNIIGAZ and other research institutions of the gas industry.

In delivering his report, Alexander Ananenkov underscored that the issue reviewed by the Academic Council was closely tied up to Russia’s energy safety. Russian gas transmission and underground storage networks are basic elements of the United Gas Transmission System (UGTS) that is substantially dependent on their reliability.

Developing and introducing power conservation technologies were named as crucial factors for the UGTS security enhancement.

A. Ananenkov also outlined the need to maintain records of growing gas production by independent suppliers when drafting the Gazprom’s Gas Transmission Network (GTN) upgrading and development.

At the same time, the reporter underlined that enhanced reliability of gas exports implied constructing underground gas storage facilities in the countries transiting Russian gas.

The focus of the meeting fell on the necessity to upgrade the UGTS. In this regard, the parties underscored that the increased amount of gas going via the UGTS pointed to the need of developing substantially new repairing methods and technologies and of inviting independent gas producers to expand the GTN on a larger scale.

The Academic Council’s resolution spotlights the need to:

• establish a specialized center responsible for the Russian UGTS security management;
• develop a targeted research program targeted at the UGTS reliability enhancement;
• to keep on expanding the UGS network and increasing the UGSs daily capacity, to build up long-term gas reserves inclusive;
• to come up with a targeted sci-tech underground gas storage program.

Said measures should be focused on the establishment of an efficient system of control over the Russian UGTS sustainability bolstering Gazprom’s development, security and safety of gas supplies to Russian and foreign consumers and Gazprom’s capitalization growth.

Information Directorate, OAO Gazprom