OREANDA-NEWS. December 2, 2011. On November, 24 in presence of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller have signed a contract for expanding gas supply areas in Karelia. Implementation of Gazprom's plans will begin next year, and in the short term natural gas will come to regions of North Ladoga lakeside. The issue of supplying these regions with gas Head of Karelia Andrei Nelidov discussed on November, 30 at the meeting with First Deputy Head of the Republic of Karelia Yuri Kancher, Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Karelia for Housing and Communal Services and Energy Viktor Drozdov, director of the branch of Peterburgteploenergo Ltd. in Karelia Oleg Telnov and Director General of Kareltransgaz Joint-Stock Company Yuri Azarov.

Supplying regions of North Ladoga lakeside with gas will start with Olonets. As director of the branch of Peterburgteploenergo Ltd. in Karelia Oleg Telnov has informed, natural gas will appear in Olonets region next year. By the new cold season there will be launched 26 natural-gas-burning boiler-houses. In total, in Olonets region gas will be installed in 34 settlements.

The next in line for supply with gas is Pitkaranta region where natural gas will appear in 2013. However, as Oleg Telnov has mentioned, if the work goes the more intensive way the region may receive natutal gas even earlier – by the end of 2012.

In 2014 it is planned to install gas in Lahdenpohja and Sortavala regions. However, the central boiler-house of Sortavala which causes lots of problems in the republic will be reconstructed next year.

In total in the next three years in regions of the republic it will be built 70 new natural-gas-burning boiler-houses, and 78 unprofitable boiler-houses will close.

Conversion of heat power sources to less expensive fuel will make it possible to stabilize heating rates and even make them cheaper.