On December 12-13, as part of the cooperation with GDF SUEZ, a Gazprom delegation led by Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee participated in Paris in the celebrations of the 25-year signing anniversary of the third contract for natural gas supply from Russia to France.

“More than 30 years have passed already from the moment of signing first contracts for Russian gas supply between Gazprom and Gaz de France. Our cooperation, in addition to gas supplies, is intensively developing in such areas as energy saving, UGS facilities construction and operation, LNG marketing and personnel qualification upgrade. Moreover, the companies have implemented a number of cultural and sports projects. We are firmly convinced now that Gazprom and GDF SUEZ are reliable and predictable partners maintaining a long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation.

As the European market was and remains very important to us, with France being one of the largest consumers of the Russian natural gas, we hope that interaction between our companies will be further developed. Besides the existing export contracts extended until 2030, Gazprom and GDF SUEZ have reached an agreement to supply additional gas volumes via the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Strengthening the long-term partnership between Gazprom and GDF SUEZ will promote the security of gas supply to European consumers in the long term,” stated Alexander Medvedev.

“I am delighted to celebrate jointly with Gazprom the 25-year signing anniversary of signing the third contract for the Russian gas supply. We are celebrating this event just several months after the setting up of a new company, GDF SUEZ.

The present date commemorates 25 years of confidential and firm partnership relations. We enjoy favorable prospects for cooperation, which, inter alia, will be potentially developed in entering into new European markets for the supply of gas, as well as in LNG promotion on the global scale,” said Jean-Marie Dauger, Executive Vice President of GDF SUEZ.

Background:

The cooperation between Gazprom and Gaz de France in the area of gas supply was launched in September 1975. Over this period Gazprom supplied France with more than 290 bcm of gas, with some 10 bcm supplied in 2007.

In November 2005 Gazprom and Gaz de France struck the first pipeline gas for LNG swap deal. In early December 2005 a tanker filled with LNG was sold to Shell Western LNG at the Cove Point regasification terminal (Maryland, USA).

In December 2006 Gazprom and Gaz de France signed the Agreement to extend the existing contracts for Russian gas supply to France up to 2030. In addition, an agreement was reached to launch extra gas supplies to Gaz de France via the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The annual gas supply volume will be 2.5 bcm.

Gazprom also received an opportunity to directly deliver gas to final consumers in France in the amount of up to 1.5 bcmpa starting from October 2007.

Being one of the largest European energy companies, GDF SUEZ was incorporated in 2008 as a result of the merger between Gaz de France and SUEZ.

GDF SUEZ deals with power generation and implements natural gas exploration, production, processing and marketing projects.