Gazprom’s Headquarters has hosted today a working meeting between Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee and Muhammad Mallaki, Deputy Oil Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran & Managing Director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC).

The parties addressed potential interaction in the gas business and reached an accord to expand cooperation in a whole range of businesses including:

· searching for geological structures and constructing underground gas storage facilities in Iran;

· devising a general scheme of gas supply to Iran, developing the Iranian gas transmission network and scrutinizing Gazprom’s potential involvement in pipeline projects in said country;

· sharing Gazprom’s dispatching skills;

· using gas as motor fuel.

At the end of the meeting, the parties signed a Protocol stipulating, in particular, joint expert groups for cooperation being set up.

Reference:

Iran’s proved natural gas reserves average 27 tcm. Domestic gas production is on an annual 10% rise and exceeded 140 bcm, as of year-end 2004. Almost all the gas is being used on the domestic market: 100 bcm is supplied to commercial customers (including 35 bcm to the power plant sector) and 40 bcm is injected into oil reservoirs to maintain well flow rates. The Iranian gas main length exceeds 22 thou km.

The only gas production firm in Iran is the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) supplying NIGC with all the gas extracted. NIGC’s businesses include all the operations with gas upon its production: preparation for transportation, transportation, processing and marketing. The company owns eight gas purification & dehydratation plants with over 380 mln cu m/d in overall capacity.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA