OREANDA-NEWS. May 27, 2009. Saint Petersburg saw the inauguration of the XIII International Specialized Exhibition of Natural Gas Industry and Technologies for Gas Facilities “ROS-GAZ-EXPO 2009” and the Conference “Raising Business Efficiency in Gas Distribution Sector”.

Oleg Aksyutin, Member of the Management Committee, Head of the Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department, Gazprom presented a speech entitled “Gas distribution and utilization as one of Gazprom’s key business areas”. He noted that gas distribution was an essential and integral part of Gazprom’s unified technological complex “production – transportation – distribution – marketing”. Gazprom Group distribution networks secure over 67 per cent of domestic gas supplies that embrace over 80 per cent of residential consumption, over 65 per cent of industrial facilities and over 57 per cent of the utility sector.

In this respect Oleg Aksyutin highlighted that Gazprom gave priority to the following measures in the gas distribution area: efficient and well-balanced management, reliable and safe operation of gas distribution systems, enhancement of economic efficiency and synchronization of all business processes in gas distribution and utilization from engineering to operation.

The speaker stated that Gazprom stepped up crucial actions in order to create the relevant sci-tech basis intended for meeting the challenges faced by the Company. The list of documents under preparation included the Concept for upgrading gas distribution systems and improving operations at gas distribution companies, Comprehensive program for reconstruction and technical retrofit of gas transportation facilities for 2009-2012 and the new edition of the Concept for Gazprom participation in Russian regions gasification.

The adjusted Concept will contain proposals to synchronize the facilities of the Unified Gas Supply and Distribution System as well as to optimize the use of various energy resources: gas grid methane, liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.

Summing up his speech O. Aksyutin noted that an adequate development of the Russian gas distribution sector demanded to sustain the integration of the system of staff training in gas distribution companies into the corporate staff management system of Gazprom and to secure a well-coordinated interaction between authorities and gas distribution participants.