Today the Gazprom Headquarters has hosted a working meeting between Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Shinsuke Kitagawa, Director-General of Natural Resources and Fuel Department, Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of Japan.

Within the visit the parties discussed the perspective issues of cooperation related to the execution of the Development Program        of the Integrated Gas Production, Transportation and Supply with due regard of possible gas export to Asia-Pacific markets (Eastern Program). Particularly, special attention was paid to the cooperation in Russia’s East in the sector of gas pumping and gas chemical and marketing of the products produced.

The parties shared opinions on relevant issues of the Sakhalin-2 project execution.

Alexander Ananenkov and Shinsuke Kitagawa heard a report on energy policy of Japan presented by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of Japan.

Attending the meeting were heads of the Gazprom core business units, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Energy, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and specialized committees of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.

The parties also addressed issues related to hydrocarbon supply organization from Russia to Japan, utilization of the new types of fuel, development of Japan gas transportation system as well as relevant problems in the energy saving sector. Additionally, the parties discussed the market of gas processing and chemical products of Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries.

Reporting at the meeting Alexander Ananenkov underscored that Gazprom examined Japanese companies as important partners for the Eastern Program execution.

“We see great potential of cooperation as in the LNG supply sector by Gazprom from Russia to Japan as in the development projects of gas chemical companies in Eastern Siberia and the Far East as well as marketing of the products received by Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries,” said Alexander Ananenkov.

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With scarce domestic energy resources, Japan is the world’s fourth-largest energy consumer. The country annually consumes some 80 bcm of gas the share of which stands at 14 per cent in the national energy basket. Japan imports some 100 per cent of overall gas consumed in the form of liquefied natural gas and is the world’s top LNG importer.

Gazprom and the Natural Resources & Energy Agency of Japan’s Economy, Trade & Industry Ministry signed a Framework Agreement on Cooperation on November 21, 2005. The Agreement sets out major joint businesses in the gas sector. In the aim of executing the Agreement the parties set up a Joint Coordinating Committee. The 1st meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee was conducted in January 2007. Alexander Ananenkov and Shinsuke Kitagawa are the Co-Chairmen of the Joint Coordinating Committee.

The parties are executing the plan of cooperation for 2007, which particularly stipulates the research and development on the project of gas chemical production in the Eastern Siberia, program development of sci-tech cooperation.

The Eastern Program was approved by the Russian Federation government on June 15, 2007 and approved by Minpromenergo of Russia on September 3, 2007. Gazprom was nominated by the Government of the Russian Federation as a coordinator to implement the Eastern Program.