The Gazprom Headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Eduard Khudaynatov, First Vice President of NK Rosneft.

An emphasis was placed on the progress with the Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between the companies and the Agreement on Interaction aimed at gas supply to the Far Eastern Federal Okrug.

In particular, the parties discussed the utilization of the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system to deliver natural gas to the consumers of the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Krais, and, inter alia, to arrange gas supplies to the refinery NK Rosneft was planning to construct in the Primorsky Krai.

The meeting also deliberated on the interaction between the companies within the associated petroleum gas utilization projects.

Background:

The Agreement on Strategic Cooperation between Gazprom and NK Rosneft was signed on November 28, 2006 for the period through 2015 with potential five-year extensions.

Pursuant to the Agreement, NK Rosneft and Gazprom will promote cooperation in hydrocarbon prospecting, exploration, production, transportation and processing; natural and associated gas marketing; electric and thermal power generation and marketing; petroleum and power equipment manufacturing; production and infrastructure facilities development; sci-tech, information, environmental, social and staffing support.

On July 19, 2008 Gazprom and NK Rosneft signed the Agreement on Interaction aimed at gas supply to the Far Eastern Federal Okrug.

As part of the Agreement between the parties, a provision was made to optimize the development of the regional gas transmission capacities and a deal was closed for Gazprom to acquire a 25 per cent plus one share stake in Daltransgaz from NK Rosneft.

The Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok gas transmission system (GTS) is a paramount facility of the Eastern Gas Program approved by the September 2007 Order by the Russian Federation Industry and Energy Ministry. The project is targeted at developing gas supply to the Khabarovsk Krai and arranging gas supply to the Primorsky Krai. Construction of the GTS was launched in July 2009; the first start-up complex will be commissioned in the third quarter of 2011. In parallel, the work is underway to supply natural gas to the Sakhalin Oblast including the conversion of the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk CHPP-1 to natural gas.