OREANDA-NEWS. December 27, 2007.  The city of Novosibirsk has hosted a joint meeting between a Gazprom delegation and the leadership of the Russian Federation President Representative Office in the Siberian Federal District (SFD) dedicated to development of gasification in the region.

The meeting was moderated by Oleg Budargin, Advisor of Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation President in the Siberian Federal District and Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. Attending the meeting were heads of the SFD federative constituents and Gazprom subsidiaries including Mezhregiongaz, Tomsktransgaz, Irkutskgazprom, Krasnoyarskgazdobycha, Gazprom invest Vostok, Promgaz and Giprospetsgaz.

Reporting at the meeting, Alexander Ananenkov noted that in September 2007 the Ministry of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation approved the Eastern Program, while Gazprom was appointed as a coordinator of the Program’s execution.

Gasification is generally an important element for the Program and for social and economic development of the Siberian Federal District. Gazprom provides large-scale work on the regional gasification and gas supply, prepares for development of gas processing industries and consistently fulfills its obligations. In 2007, as it was planned, gas was supplied to Belokurikha in the Altai Kray and Bratsk in the Irkutsk Oblast. The Irkutsk Oblast gasification and gas processing development based on small and average size fields (as it was specified in the General Gas Supply and Gasification Scheme for the region) is be continued. Gazprom prepares a project for the development of gas processing and gas chemical capacities based on the Sobinkoye oil and gas condensate field in the Krasnoyarsk Kray,” said Alexander Ananenkov.

Additionally, the gasification efficiency generally depends on timely preparation of consumers for gas intake. For this purpose the local authorities must rigidly execute the synchronized schedules for gasification facilities commissioning.

Gazprom significantly works on development of the resource base to gasify the region while providing geological survey in the Krasnoyarsk Kray and Irkutsk Oblast where the Chikanskoye gas condensate field was discovered. The meeting specified that Gazprom put into operation the Chikanskoye gas condensate field as a major field to gasify southern areas in the Irkutsk Oblast. Gazprom plans to provide geological survey in the territory of other regions in Eastern Siberia. Additionally, Gazprom takes part in the development of a new sector of the fuel and energy complex – coalbed methane production with forecasting resources that can be compared with traditional natural gas fields. The coalbed methane production is planned to be commenced in Kuzbass in 2009.

The meeting resulted in decisions directed to provision of efficient execution of the Eastern Program in the Siberian Federal District.