OREANDA-NEWS. July 21, 2008. Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee has convened at the Gazprom Headquarters a meeting dedicated to the natural gas supply to the regions of the Far East and the Kamchatka Krai.

Participating in the meeting were Vasily Podyuk, Member of the Management Committee, Head of the Gas, Gas Condensate and Oil Production Department, Yaroslav Golko, Member of the Management Committee, Head of the Investment and Construction Department, Boris Posyagin, Head of the Central Production and Dispatch Department, heads and experts of the Gazprom’s Administration core business units and as well as heads of the following subsidiaries – Gazprom invest Vostok, Mezhregiongaz, Promgaz, Giprogazcenter, and Giprospetsgaz.

The meeting members discussed essential issues on gas supply to the Primorsky, Khabarovsk and Kamchatka Krais, as well as the Sakhalin Oblast. The meeting summarized the results of the working visit of Gazprom experts to the Far East regions held July 6 to 13.

The meeting considered the progress in implementing a top-priority project within the Eastern Gas Program – the construction of the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system. It was noted that the engineering of the gas transmission system facilities required to start the construction in 2009 and the gas supply to Vladivostok in 2011, was underway in line with the schedule.

The participants of the meeting paid a special attention to providing a resource base to the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system. Meanwhile, it was emphasized that the major gas source for the gasification of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krais and Sakhalin Oblast at the first phase was the Sakhalin-1 project. The resources of the Sakhalin-3 project blocks will play a decisive role in the further development of the gas transmission system.

The meeting also addressed the progress in implementing the Kamchatka Krai gasification project providing for the construction of Sobolevo – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas pipeline, as well as the development of Kshukskoye and Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye fields. The project is being implemented in line with the schedule. First natural gas supplies to the consumers in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky will commence in Quarter 4, 2010.

In addition, the meeting summed up the preliminary results of mobilization and deployment of construction and installation units at a number of sections of the gas pipeline construction route.

Until the end of the current year it is planned to accomplish the development of the General Gas Supply and Gasification Scheme for the Kamchatka Krai. Commercial talks with the consumers in order to agree upon the conditions of gas supply will be held, and long-term natural gas supply contracts will be concluded with power generating companies operating in the region. In particular, the preliminary conditions for the natural gas supply to the Kamchatskenergo facilities were discussed. Starting from 2009 the Kamchatka Krai will be included in the Russian Regions Gasification Program, and the engineering and construction of gas distribution networks in the Krai will be launched.

According to the meeting results, Gazprom’s core business units and subsidiaries were entrusted with ensuring timely implementation of the projects for natural gas supply to the Far East regions.