OREANDA-NEWS. January 27, 2011.  Gazprom's group of experts led by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Company's Management Committee has finished is business trip to the Far East.

Alexander Ananenkov held a meeting today in Vladivostok. The meeting surrounded the development of gas supply to the Kamchatka Krai.

Taking part in the meeting were Yaroslav Golko, Member of the Management Committee – Head of the Investment and Construction Department of Gazprom, heads and experts from the Company's specialized subdivisions and subsidiaries: Gazprom invest Vostok, Gazprom mezhregiongaz, Gazprom transgaz Tomsk, Gazprom komplektatsiya, Gazprom promgaz and Gazprom gaznadzor as well as contracting agencies.

Opening the meeting Alexander Ananenkov stressed that it was crucial to develop the gas supply system in Kamchatka in order to speed up socio-economic advancement of the region.

At present, Gazprom proceeds with the respective efforts. Design and exploration work is underway with the aim to construct two inter-settlement gas pipelines for gas supply to CHPP-1, a regional hospital, the 11th kilometer boiler plant No.1 and other facilities of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Moreover, design and exploration work was initiated to construct an inter-settlement gas pipeline to the town of Yelizovo, including a gas distribution station, and further on to the settlements of Dvurechye, Krasny, Nagorny, Novy, Pionersky, Svetly and Krutoberegovy (Yelizovo District). This year the Company is planning to complete the design and exploration work for these facilities and begin the construction of all the above mentioned gas pipelines.

Based on the meeting results, Gazprom's specialized subdivisions, subsidiaries and contracting agencies were tasked to timely implement the Kamchatka Krai gasification projects.
Background

The September 2007 Order by the Russian Federation Industry and Energy Ministry approved the Development Program for an integrated gas production, transportation and supply system in Eastern Siberia and the Far East, taking into account potential gas exports to China and other Asia-Pacific countries (Eastern Gas Program). Gazprom was appointed by the Russian Government as the Program execution coordinator. The following new gas production centers will be created in Eastern Russia: the Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Kamchatka and Sakhalin centers.

In September 2007 the Russian Government also adopted the decision prescribing Gazprom to join the Gas Supply to the Kamchatka Oblast, Phase 1 – Gas Supply to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky project.

As part of the project implementation Gazprom performs production drilling and pre-development of the Kshukskoye and Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye fields on the west coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Gas production from the Kshukskoye and Nizhne-Kvakchikskoye fields is expected to total 750 million cubic meters a year.

Gazprom promptly built and in 2010 commissioned the Sobolevo – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas trunkline in order to supply gas to the consumers in the Kamchatka Krai. The gas pipeline is 392 kilometers long and its throughput capacity is up to 750 million cubic meters of gas a year.

Gazprom and the Kamchatka Krai Government entered into the Gasification Accord in January 2008 and into the Cooperation Agreement in February 2009. This year the Kamchatka Krai was included in the Russian Regions Gasification Program.

CHPP-2 of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky became the main gas consumer on the Peninsula at the initial stage. In order to supply gas to CHPP-2, Gazprom has built a 15 kilometer long two-string inter-settlement gas pipeline from the automated gas distribution station of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to CHPP-2.