A working meeting of Mr. Alexey Miller, Gazprom’s Management Committee Chairman, and Valery Serdyukov, the governor of the Leningrad region, was held today at Gazprom’s headquarters.

The parties discussed the progress in the implementation of the Agreement on cooperation between the government of the Leningrad region and Gazprom, signed on 22 September 2001, and of the Agreement on mutual cooperation in 2003. Joint efforts of the parties in design and construction of the North-European gas pipeline in the Leningrad region were considered at the meeting.

The issues of implementing the purpose-oriented Program of gas supply to the Leningrad region, and of additional gas deliveries to consumers in 2004 were also raised at the meeting.

Reference:

The Agreement on cooperation between Gazprom and the government of the Leningrad region provides for: elaboration of the General Scheme of the Regional Gas Supply; uninterrupted gas supply to the state-run enterprises; expansion of capacities for using compressed and liquefied natural gas as a motor fuel; and implementation of energy-saving technologies in the Leningrad region.

Under the Agreement on mutual cooperation in 2003, the parties are developing the General Scheme of the Regional Gas Supply for 2005-2015, taking into account the application of LNG and locally produced fuels. This year, Gazprom will deliver some 4.4. bcm of natural gas to the regional consumers. In addition, the company will allocate, within the framework of restructuring residential consumers’ debts, RR 300 million for financing the Regional Gas Supply Program fulfillment.

Current payments for gas deliveries to the regional consumers exceed 94% of payments due.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA