OREANDA-NEWS. December 28, 2012. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Anatoly Chubais, Director General of RUSNANO held another joint meeting today at the Gazprom headquarters on nanotech products development and their introduction at Gazprom's production facilities.


Taking part in the meeting were Members of the Gazprom Management Committee and heads of the Company's structural units, as well as heads of RUSNANO structural units.

The meeting specifically addressed the optimization of Gazprom's costs intended for gas transmission projects.

“Gazprom is the largest pipe consumer in the world. We implement unique gas transmission projects that are colossal by scale. This year the world's cutting-edge Bovanenkovo – Ukhta gas trunkline system was commissioned. The building of South Stream, currently the largest investment project in Europe, is underway. The Yakutia – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas pipeline has transitioned to the construction phase. It will be the core element of the Power of Siberia gas transmission system.

Ambitious gas transmission projects of Gazprom offer enormous opportunities for the development and adoption of comprehensive scientific solutions. And RUSNANO's objective is to provide a tangible long-term economic effect from these solutions to Gazprom in the long term,” said Alexey Miller.

The meeting addressed specific ways of such cooperation. Special attention was paid to the possibility for Gazprom to use pipes manufactured purely from composite materials. The discussion was followed by the decision to establish a joint working group and task it to evaluate the practicability and application areas of composite pipes in the first quarter of 2013.

Besides, in 2013 Gazprom and RUSNANO will complete the pilot testing of protective anti-corrosion coatings for pipes with properties considerably superior to the existing analogs.

The meeting participants pointed out that Gazprom and RUSNANO had already gained the cooperation experience which produced a notable financial result. Thus, the economic effect from applying at the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant RUSNANO metal protective coatings with high corrosion resistance amounted to RUB 747 million.
Background

In November 2010 Gazprom and RUSNANO signed the Protocol of Joint Actions. This document stipulates wider use of nanotechnologies by gas industry companies.

In September 2011 Gazprom and RUSNANO approved a Program to boost the demand for innovative and, inter alia, nanotech products in the gas industry.

In June 2011 the Gazprom Innovative Development Program until 2020 was approved. The Program is aimed at constant improvement of Gazprom's technology level to retain the position of an engineering leader in the global energy business.

The document contains a package of measures on developing and adopting new technologies, innovative products and services by Gazprom at hydrocarbons production, transmission and processing facilities, power plants as well as measures to create favorable conditions for the intense innovative development.

The Program stipulates a pro-active approach to cooperation with corporate and independent research institutions as part of the R&D activities as well as with national development institutes and higher educational institutions in joint studies and staff training.

A joint research paper of Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan and RUSNANO “AGCF equipment anticorrosive protection using nanostructured metal coatings applied through gas-thermal evaporation” has been awarded the Gazprom 2012 Science and Technology Prize.