OREANDA-NEWS. On 12 February 2008  was announced, that the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region has approved CJSC GAZEKS (a business within GAZEKS Holding Company) gasification program for 2008 providing for RUR 190,450,000 to be invested in development of the region's gas network and projects aimed at ensuring safety of gas supplies.

The region's Government and the gas company have selected the most urgent requests for gasification among the numerous applications submitted by municipal authorities. RUR 17.15 million will be allocated for further development of the gas network in Nizhny Tagil and another RUR 4 million will be invested in the gasification of the Prigorodny district. Besides, Nizhny Tagil's existing gas supply system requires major rehabilitation works including cross-feeding of Aleksandrovsky community and Oktyabrsky Avenue at the cost of another RUR 10 million, which will ensure stable gas supplies for this major growing district and back-up facilities for a large heat power plant providing heat for the district's residents.

Gasification of the northern towns will be continued with RUR 2.2, 5.8 and 6.0 million allocated for residential areas of Severouralsk, Krasnoturyinsk and Serov respectively. RUR 15.3 million will be invested in the gasification of Revda communities. GAZEKS's investments in the amount of RUR 12 million will bring gas to households in the town of Arti and adjacent settlements.

To insure safety of the existing gas supply systems, the company plans to invest RUR 12 million in the construction of a second lead-in in the town of Verkhnyaya Salda allowing for connection of new consumers to the municipal networks. Cross-feeding of Polevsky municipal gas distribution networks, estimated to cost RUR 8.1 million, aims at ensuring sufficient gas pressure level at the terminal points of the gas lines.

RUR 10 million is planned to be spent on operating process automation. Besides, additional telemetric control systems will be installed to ensure on-line monitoring of gas distribution stations' performance. The control center will receive information on input and output pressure in the gas distribution stations, gas pollution levels and unauthorized access to the stations.
Long-term plans of further gasification and ensuring safety of gas supplies in the Sverdlovsk Region will be discussed by GAZEKS Holding Company General Director Andrei Pestov at his meeting with Chairman of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region Viktor Koksharov. GAZEKS's investments in these projects may total RUR 2 billion before 2010.