OREANDA-NEWS. October 24, 2011. Rostov-on-Don hosted today a meeting dedicated to the Rostov Oblast gasification.

The meeting was moderated by Vasily Golubev, Governor of the Rostov Oblast and Valery Golubev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee. Taking part in the meeting were heads of Gazprom's core subdivisions and its affiliates, the Government representatives and heads of municipal entities of the Rostov Oblast.

The participants of the meeting noted the high rate of gasification, especially in the rural area. Thus, from 2002 to 2010 the regional gasification level grew 20.1 per cent (up to 79.3 per cent) while in the rural area the identical figure increased by 24.8 per cent (up to 57.9 per cent). These values are higher than Russia's average (63.1 and 46.7 per cent respectively).

Vasily Golubev thanked Gazprom for permanent and large-scale work in the area of the Rostov Oblast gasification.

The meeting examined draft versions of the Rostov Oblast Gasification Programs for 2012 and 2013.

The meeting participants discussed the issue of further gas supplies reliability enhancement in the region. In this regard, the discussion centered on Gazprom's purchase of the gas distribution grids currently owned by the Oblast Government and the local authorities. A number of measures were proposed for work activation in the specified area.

It was decided to set up a joint working group between Gazprom and the Rostov Oblast Government to coordinate the Southern Corridor gas transmission project implementation in the region.

After the meeting Vasily Golubev and Valery Golubev took part in the celebrations dedicated to gasification of the Korennoy settlement located in the Tselinsky District, Rostov Oblast.
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 2011 the Company invested some RUB 3 billion in the regional gasification efforts.

In 2011 Gazprom's investments in the Oblast gasification development are equal to RUB 400 billion. These funds will be used to complete construction of two inter-settlements pipelines, to continue construction of another pipeline and begin construction of three inter-settlements pipelines. Besides, design and project documents are being elaborated for five gasification facilities at the moment.

Between 2011 and 2015 Gazprom is planning a stagewise overhaul of a gas lateral running from the North Caucasus – Center gas trunkline to Volgodonsk. The gas lateral is some 63 kilometers long. Moreover, the Company is going to retrofit the Rostov-1, Rostov-5, Shakhty-1, Shakhty-2 gas distribution stations (GDS) and a GDS of the Yegorlykskaya compressor station between 2012 and 2013.

The Southern Corridor gas transmission system will help supply additional gas volumes to a number of central and southern Russian regions as well as to feed gas to the South Stream gas pipeline.