A meeting conducted in Minsk (Belarus) by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom's Management Committee reviewed the progress in the construction of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline infrastructure.

The meeting was also attended by Bogdan Budzulyak, Gazprom's Management Committee Member and Head of the Company's Gas Transportation, Underground Storage and Utilization Department, Valery Golubev, Gazprom's Management Committee Member and Gazkomplektimpex's Director General, heads of Gazprom's departments and agencies, leadership of design & engineering companies and Beltransgaz's top management.

The parties examined the progress in fulfilling the Plan on synchronized commissioning of priority gas tranmission facilties with the view of ensuring gas deliveries by the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline up to 2006.

At the same time, the meeting addressed the issue of constructing and bringing into operation the Krupskaya and Slonimskaya compressor stations. The participants pointed out that all the preparatory work preceding the construction of the aforementioned compressor stations had been completed in full. In particular, special emphasis was laid on the conclusion of the required procurement and design&engineering contracts as well as contracts for the construction of the Krupskaya and Slonimskaya compressor stations.

Due to the projected commissioning of compressor stations at the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline in the 2nd quarter of 2005, the meeting resolved to finalize the construction of and bring into operation the Krupskaya and Slonimskaya in March 2005.

Taking into account the need to synchronize the commissioning of gas facilities along the entire route of the Northern Tyumen Region (NTR)-Torzhok and Yamal-Europe gas pipelines, Alexander Ananenkov also conducted in the town of Ukhta a meeting on the construction of the NTR-Torzhok gas main sections. Bogdan Budzulyak, Valery Golubev, heads of Gazprom's departments and agencies, leadership of design & engineering companies and Severgazprom's top management took part in the meeting.

The parties made a trip to building sites of the NTR-Torzhok gas pipeline and the Ukhtinskaya compressor station.

The meeting addressed the progress in constructing and upgrading the facilties planned to be brought on stream in 2004, as well as reviewed the issue of timely commissioning of the pipeline compressor stations to ensure contracted gas exports in 2005-2006.

Reference

The Northern Tyumen Region (NTR)-Torzhok and Yamal-Europe gas pipelines will link fields of the northern Tyumen Region with West Europe. Total length and design capacity of both gas pipelines will account for over 4 thousand km and some 33 bcm of gas per annum, respectively. The pipelines are planned to reach the design capacity in 2005.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA