Today Munich hosted a meeting of the Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas AG Coordinating Council on scientific and technical cooperation as well as personnel training and development. The meeting was headed by the Council Co-Chairmen: Vlada Rusakova, Member of the Management Committee, Head of the Strategic Development Department, Gazprom, Dr. Jurgen Lenz, Member of the Management Board, E.ON Ruhrgas AG, Member of the Executive Board responsible for technical affairs and Armin Geiss, Member of the Management Board, Head of Personnel Department, E.ON Ruhrgas AG.

The meeting participants reported on the execution progress with the programs for sci-tech cooperation, personnel training and development in 2008. The parties showed their satisfaction with the results reached and discussed the proposals on cooperation within the period of 2009-2011.

During the meeting the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Gazprom promgaz presented a joint research project on the prospects for coal and liquid fuel substitution by natural gas in the Kolpashevo town, Tomsk Oblast. This work will result in recommendations on efficient utilization of energy sources, environmental protection and recovery of the socioeconomic situation in Russia’s minor towns.

Background:

The German company E.ON Ruhrgas AG is Europe’s largest privately held power & gas concern. In the early 1970s Ruhrgas became one of the first prominent buyers of Russian gas in Western Europe. At present, the partnership ties between E.ON Ruhrgas and Gazprom extend beyond the gas trade. E.ON Ruhrgas has become a prominent foreign shareholder in Gazprom (with around a 6.5 per cent stake in possession) and is a partner in the Nord Stream project.

Gazprom promgaz (formerly Promgaz) is the leading research center of Gazprom engaged in substantiating the regional power generation policy, gasification, gas distribution and utilization, development of small fields and exploitation of coal bed methane resources.

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is one of the five UN regional Commissions. It was founded in 1947 by the UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) for developing the economic activity and strengthening the economic ties among its member countries. The Energy Efficiency-21 program being implemented by UNECE assists Southeast Europe, Eastern Europe and the CIS in increasing energy efficiency, reducing the fuel deficit arisen during the transition period and meeting international contractual obligations related to environmental protection.

In 2006 Gazprom and the Tomsk Oblast Administration decided to create a demonstration zone for highly efficient gas utilization in the Kolpashevo town.

In June 2008, within the framework of the Energy Efficiency-21 program, Gazprom promgaz and UNECE contracted to study the influence of coal and liquid fuel substitution by natural gas on energy utilization efficiency in the Kolpashevsky district, Tomsk Oblast.