On 26 July, Gazprom’s Headquarters hosted a joint meeting (chaired by Alexander Ananenkov, Acting Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee) of the Coordinating Committee for Cooperation between Gazprom & the International Gas Union (IGU) and Gazprom’s Steering & Preparatory Committee for the XXIII World Gas Congress (WGC).

The focus of the meeting fell on Gazprom’s preparations for the XXIII WGC and the corporate exhibition stand management at the World Gas Exhibition to take place within WGC.

The Committees discussed and approved the progress in IGU’s special Gas-to-Power Project in Russia as well as in the preparation of a Russian part of a joint report to be presented at the XXIII WGC.

The meeting also reviewed matters in regards with Gazprom’s initiative to hold the 2012 XXV WGC in Russia.

Ultimately, the parties addressed issues relative to preparations for the October 2005 IGU Council’s meeting to be held in China.

Reference:

Founded in 1931, the International Gas Union (IGU) is an international non-governmental organization representing a major center for the analysis and generalization of the global gas industry’s experience.

IGU is mainly focused on continuously sharing experience, searching for new and effective methods of work, developing advanced technical ideas and original technological solutions. IGU currently unites gas associations and companies from 67 countries worldwide.

Russia became IGU member back in 1957 and is now represented in this organization by Gazprom and the Russian Gas Society along with Independent Gas Producers’ Union being IGU Charter Member and Associate Members, respectively.

The World Gas Congress (WGC) is IGU’s most crucial forum. In June 2003, Tokyo hosted the XXII WGC and the XXIII WGC will take place in June 2006, in Amsterdam.

Gazprom has brought forward an initiative to hold the XXV WGC due 2012 in Moscow.

Gazprom’s representatives are involved in the activities of the 5 Working and 4 Programme Committees of IGU. Responsible for the identification of underground gas storage development prospects and trends, the Underground Gas Storage Committee (founded in 2000) is chaired by Sergey Khan, Head of Gazprom’s Underground Gas Storage Division.

In April 2005, Moscow hosted sessions of IGU Working Committees for Underground Gas Storage, Gas Transmission and Gas Distribution.

Being IGU’s major target for the 2003-06 business period, the Gas-to-Power Project is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of natural gas use in the power generation sector and is being implemented on a regional basis in North & South America, Europe, Africa and Asia & Russia. Each region will have its market surveyed and the results to be obtained will serve as a basis for the preparation of a final report for the XXIII WGC.

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