OREANDA-NEWS. September 25, 2009. Today as part of Gazprom delegation’s business trip to Salekhard, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Nikolai Vinnichenko, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian President in the Urals Federal Okrug (Urals FO) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.

According to the Memorandum provisions, the parties will support execution of the Russian Energy Strategy until 2030 in the Urals FO.

The Memorandum defines that the parties shall cooperate in such paramount areas as:
— securing the reliable natural gas supplies to the Urals FO regions including the consumers of the Urals Industrial – Urals Polar project, as well as observing the gas consumption discipline;
— well-balanced development of gas distribution and consumption facilities including the facilities of the Russian Unified Gas Supply System, population centers gasification, elaboration and adoption of gas saving technologies and equipment;
— maintenance of the required volume of back-up fuels and expanded utilization of alternative fuels;
— gas exploration, development and production at small fields and shaping a transportation infrastructure within the Urals Industrial – Urals Polar project;
— creating favorable financial and investment conditions to facilitate efficient operation of the Urals FO fuel and energy complex.

The parties have agreed to promote searching for the unified principles and approaches to the common gasification program for the Urals FO based on the gas saving concept and with due regard to gasification programs for the Urals FO constituents.

In order to fortify the energy base and to streamline the fuel balances in the Urals FO constituents, the parties have agreed to encourage the working-out and execution of economically viable programs and projects. They embrace the following areas:
— construction and development of novel power generation facilities including distributed power generation;
— wider utilization of compressed and liquefied natural gas as motor fuel for vehicles, rail transport and agricultural equipment;
— advanced processing and more effective utilization of natural gas in power generation, chemical, metallurgical and other gas consuming industries;
— energy saving and improved fuel utilization, involvement of alternative fuels into the fuel and energy balance including the non-conventional ones;
— improving the environmental situation in the Urals FO.