OREANDA-NEWS. March 29, 2011. The Gazprom headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company's Management Committee and Vasily Golubev, Governor of the Rostov Oblast.

The parties considered the ongoing cooperation in the gas sector putting an emphasis on the need to enhance the payment discipline among consumers in the Rostov Oblast.

Alexey Miller and Vasily Golubev discussed the prospects for the regional gasification and stressed that Gazprom would consider the possibility of increasing the amount of funds allocated for the Rostov Oblast gasification in 2011 with due regard for the regional authorities' guarantees to reduce the arrears for the delivered gas and fulfill the obligations on the consumers preparation for gas supplies.
Background

The Agreement of Cooperation between Gazprom and the Rostov Oblast Administration was signed in September 2002, the Accord on Gasification – in June 2007.

Between 2002 and 2010 Gazprom invested over RUB 2.5 billion in the Rostov Oblast gasification raising the gas penetration level in it by 18.7 per cent versus 2002 – to 77.9 per cent, particularly to 87.6 per cent in cities and towns (by 17.3 per cent) and to 56 per cent in the rural area (by 22.9 per cent). The identical figures throughout Russia average 63.2, 67.5 and45.5 per cent respectively.

In 2011 the Company allocated RUB 50 million to construct three inter-settlement gas pipelines in the Rostov Oblast.

The arrears of the Rostov Oblast consumers for delivered gas grew by RUB 1.1 billion between January and February this year exceeding RUB 2 billion as of March 1. The major part of arrears is formed by the public utilities and the population.