OREANDA-NEWS. The Gazprom Management Committee examined the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) readiness for peak loads in autumn/winter 2013–2014 and addressed steps to be taken over the long term for securing continuous gas supply to consumers during the winter period.

The meeting noted that the UGSS was generally ready for the forthcoming autumn/winter period. In the course of preparations for winter 2013–2014, all 17 scheduled maintenance and repair operations were carried out at the UGSS facilities. 1,497 kilometers of gas pipelines were overhauled, 17.3 thousand kilometers of gas pipelines underwent in-line inspection and electrometric survey of 14.8 thousand kilometers of gas pipelines was conducted during the nine months of the current year. 41 and 807 submerged crossings were repaired and inspected accordingly. 464 gas compressor units were overhauled.

Gazprom continued developing the system of underground gas storage (UGS) facilities. In particular, Kaliningrad saw in September the commissioning of Russia's twenty second UGS facility. The aggregate potential sendout of Gazprom's UGS facilities in Russia hit a record high: the maximum daily sendout by the withdrawal season start rose to 727.8 million cubic meters of gas, while the average daily sendout from December to February amounted to 579.6 million cubic meters, up 56.7 and 43.7 million cubic meters accordingly versus last year. The growth of the average daily sendout is commensurate with the average daily gas consumption during the winter period in some Russian constituent entities, for example, in the Krasnodar Territory or the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

The work is practically completed on the replenishment of UGS facilities with gas that was withdrawn during the last autumn/winter period as well as the accumulation of 69.02 billion cubic meters as the operating gas reserves of Russian UGS facilities, up 2.7 billion cubic meters versus 2012. This will be a record high amount in the history of the Russian gas industry.

Taking into account the UGS facilities located in Belarus, Gazprom's operating gas reserves will be 69.94 billion cubic meters, with the potential sendout of UGS facilities to be as follows: the maximum daily sendout by the withdrawal season start will be 745.8 million cubic meters of gas and the average daily sendout from December to February will be 585.8 million cubic meters of gas.

The reliability assurance measures at gas production companies included, inter alia, full-scale repairs of 85 comprehensive gas treatment units and commissioning of new wells in the Bovanenkovskoye field. As of October 1, 2013 a total of 385 wells were overhauled. In the current year the Kirinskoye field will be brought onstream in the Sakhalin shelf.

At the same time, successful operation during peak loads will largely depend on the creation of backup fuel (fuel oil, coal, etc.) reserves by consumers as well as on the regional gas consumption discipline and compliance with Schedule 1.

Heads of Gazprom's subsidiary companies were entrusted with timely completing the preparation of the UGSS facilities for operation in autumn/winter 2013–2014 and ensuring the reliable and failsafe operation of network capacities.