OREANDA-NEWS. Gazprom Neft and the Moscow City Government have signed a cooperation agreement on the supply of innovative bitumen construction materials for road building in the capital. The signing ceremony was attended by Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin and Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov.

Under the terms of the agreement Gazprom Neft will produce bitumen materials appropriate for the construction of high-congestion roads. The agreement also allows the testing of new bitumen products on designated stretches of road; a further major condition concerns both parties" participation in developing new industry standards and regulation governing the use of new and innovative materials in road construction. Bitumen materials for delivery within the Central Federal District will be produced at Gazprom Neft's Moscow Refinery and Gazpromneft Ryazan Bitumen Binders Plant.

Gazprom Neft today is a market leader in the production and sale of bitumen materials, with sales in 2013 up 20 percent on the previous year, reaching 1.8 million tonnes.

The company is currently, together with French multinational oil company Total, implementing a project at its Moscow Refinery for the production of a new generation of polymer-modified bitumens under the G-Way Styrelf brand, specifically designed for use on high-congestion roads. The use of such innovative bitumen products considerably extends uninterrupted road use (i.e., before repairs are needed), significantly reducing maintenance costs.

Gazprom Neft CEO Alexander Dyukov commented: "For several years now Gazprom Neft has been one of the Moscow region's leading producers and suppliers of oil products. The company's long-term strategy is contingent upon its achieving technological leadership in the production of bitumens - precisely because we are, already, bringing to fruition projects unique to Russia in the production of innovative bitumen products. I have every confidence that further extending our cooperation with the Moscow City Government will ensure the achievement of our strategic goals here, and that the city's road construction companies - and its residents - will, quite rightly, notice a new quality to Moscow's roads."