Saint Petersburghosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Georgy Poltavchenko, Governor of Saint Petersburg.

During the meeting Gazprom presented the Company's activities in Saint Petersburg.

For many years, Gazprom Group has been playing an important role in developing the economy of Saint Petersburg as well as the city's social and cultural life. Nine companies of Gazprom Group are currently operating in the city. The companies ensure failsafe and reliable gas supply to consumers, develop the gas supply and gasification system, take up power production and distribution. Gazprom Group companies are among the key taxpayers in Saint Petersburg.

Today, Gazprom is making consistent efforts to develop gas supply to the city. The Company ensures construction of the pipelines to supply gas to the Yuzhnaya, Pervomaiskaya and Pravoberezhnaya combined heat and power plants (CHPP), it is designing the gas pipelines to connect the Shosseinaya-2 GDS with the Yuzhnaya CHPP and the second Vostochnaya gas main with the Shushary industrial area.

Much work is done to gasify Saint Petersburg districts. Between 2002 and 2010 the Company allocated RUB 7.2 billion to construct gasification facilities, with another RUB 1.3 billion earmarked for this purpose in 2011. The gas penetration level in Saint Petersburg stands at 81.8 per cent exceeding Russia's average by nearly 12 per cent.

At the moment, Gazprom Group is a major player in the heat and power market of Saint Petersburg. In particular, TGC-1 (Gazprom energoholding affiliate) constructed the first power unit at the Pravoberezhnaya CHPP, commissioned new turbine units at the Vyborgskaya and Vasileostrovskaya CHPPs as well as a new power unit at the Yuzhnaya CHPP from 2006 to 2011. The total capacity of newly commissioned equipment surpassed 1 GW.

Moreover, among the important outcomes of the efforts made by TGC-1 and the Saint Petersburg Government was creation of a joint venture, Saint Petersburg Heat Network, in 2010. The JV assumed responsibility for the heat network facilities within the TGC-1 owned combined heat and power plants operation regions. As a result, maintenance of heat mains and heat distribution networks was handed over to a single organization, instead of multiple ones, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of the business. In this regard, Alexey Miller and Georgy Poltavchenko considered the issues of bringing under the management of Saint Petersburg Heat Network the heat networks located within the areas supplied with heat by 22 municipal boiler houses in Saint Petersburg, and creating the city's largest heat network operator on the basis of the company with up-to-date heat accounting devices, a low level of fixed assets depreciation and optimal economics.

During the presentation of Gazprom Group's activities in Saint Petersburg, the projects on municipal heat supply systems upgrade were considered. It was noted that in 2011 Gazprom was upgrading heat supply facilities at the Petrodvortsovy, Tsentralny and Admiralteisky districts of Saint Petersburg. RUB 3.1 billion was allocated for these purposes.

Gazprom pays much attention to developing the social life in Saint Petersburg. In particular, as part of the Gazprom to Children program the Company constructed ten fitness and health centers in the city from 2008 to 2010 and will finish building another one in the Krasnogvardeisky district in 2011. Further on, the Company is planning to construct another eight sports centers.

Gazprom Group companies regularly support the city's higher educational institutions and museums, take part in arranging sports, cultural and scientific events in the city. Sponsorship is provided to the Zenit football club and the SKA (Saint Petersburg) hockey club.

Construction of the Lakhta Center being of a high social significance for Saint Petersburg is another project by Gazprom. The project stipulates comprehensive development of suburban lands: offices, residential districts and recreation areas for citizens will be located here. Saint Petersburg's transport infrastructure will be enhanced as part of the project.

Summing up the results of the meeting, Alexey Miller and Georgy Poltavchenko emphasized that Gazprom and Saint Petersburg were strategic partners. Intense socioeconomic development of the city today, as well as in the long run, hinges on efficient operation of Gazprom companies.