The Gazprom headquarters hosted a meeting dedicated to operation and expansion of above-ground technological equipment of underground gas storage (UGS) facilities. The meeting was moderated by Oleg Aksyutin, Member of the Management Committee – Head of the Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department of Gazprom.

Taking part in the meeting were heads and experts from Gazprom’s specialized subdivisions, Gazprom UGS, Gazprom transgaz Volgograd, Gazprom transgaz Saratov, Gazprom transgaz Ufa, Kubangazprom, Gazprom invest Zapad, Gazprom invest Yug, Podzemgazprom, Gazprom VNIIGAZ, VNIPIgazdobycha, Gazproektengineering, VNIPITRANSGAZ, Giprospetsgaz and Gazpromenergodiagnostika.

It was underlined that during long-lasting cold spells of the 2009–2010 autumn/winter period, reliable operation of UGS as an integral part of the Russian Unified Gas Supply System (UGS) was of special significance. At the same time, build-up of UGS daily send-out capacity remains a crucial task.

In this respect the meeting participants looked at the current operation of Russian UGS facilities and the measures to raise their daily send-out capacity. In particular, the discussion centered on the interaction of Gazprom UGS with customer organizations when executing investment projects targeted at promoting the reliability and productivity of the Nevskoye, Krasnodarskoye and Kuschevskoye UGS facilities and Kanchurinsko-Musinsky UGS complex.

The meeting also addressed the construction of the Volgogradskoye and Kaliningradskoye UGS facilities – the first gas storages created in salt caverns.

Following the meeting results, Gazprom’s specialized subdivisions and subsidiaries were tasked with further UGS expansion in order to secure the reliability and uninterrupted operation of the Unified Gas Supply System. The participants defined top-priority activities on UGS overhaul, construction and re-construction for the current year and for the short-term prospect.

Background:

There are currently 25 UGS facilities operational in the Russian Federation with the commercial gas volume of 64 billion cubic meters. UGS peak daily send-out capacity as of the withdrawal season startup accounts for 620 million cubic meters, and the daily average send-out capacity in 2009–2010 December/February makes up 500 million cubic meters.

The Gazprom UGS Development Strategy up to 2030 hinges on the following basic principles:

- maintaining the achieved level of Russian UGS capacities by upgrading and replacing obsolete and depreciated capacities;

- accelerated build-up of Russia’s UGS daily send-out capacity by expanding the existing UGS facilities and building the new ones;

- providing UGS capacities for undersupplied regions of the Russian Federation;

- developing at best the UGS system along with UGSS, synchronizing UGS facility and gas trunkline operation regimes.