Gazprom helps determine owners of 1,460 kilometers of gas networks in 2020

The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the measures undertaken to inventory ownerless gas facilities in Russian regions, as well as to optimize the procedure of their transfer to specialized organizations for further operation in line with the laws of the Russian Federation.

It was highlighted that timely inspection, maintenance and repair of gas networks is a guarantee of reliable gas supplies to consumers. The obligation to monitor the technical condition of gas infrastructure is with its lawful owner, who should engage only specialized organizations to perform technical support operations on such infrastructure in order to ensure its uninterrupted functioning.

The gas distribution companies (GDCs) of Gazprom continue detecting ownerless gas pipelines in the course of their inspection activities. In the absence of lawful owners, these gas networks lack proper control and maintenance. Over 70 per cent of such facilities are located in the North Caucasus, Volga and Siberian Federal Districts.

Gazprom's GDCs submit information about the detected ownerless property to local authorities or, if the latter fail to act appropriately, to prosecution authorities. In 2020, the appeals filed by the GDCs helped transfer 1,200 kilometers of gas pipelines into municipal ownership and identify the owners of 261 kilometers of gas networks.

Meanwhile, Gazprom continues to collaborate with the authorities to improve the current legislation in this area. The Company deems it necessary to adopt a clear plan of actions to be implemented in the event ownerless facilities are detected, along with a procedure to monitor its implementation. Other initiatives of Gazprom include introduction of incentives for the acquisition and maintenance of such facilities, as well as reduction of their registration timeframes from one year to three months.

The Management Committee was tasked with continued implementation of the measures for inventorying ownerless gas facilities in Russian regions, as well as for optimizing the procedure of their transfer to specialized organizations for further operation in line with the laws of the Russian Federation.