Kazan hosted the 6th meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) between Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The Russian delegation was led by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Co-Chairman of the JCC.

The meeting considered the results of activities related to cooperation directions provided for in the Minutes of the 5th Meeting of the JCC, as well as the implementation of the Agreement on Strategic Partnership signed between Gazprom and CNPC.

The parties underlined that initiating the practical implementation of the Eastern Program by Gazprom was creating favorable conditions for arranging promising projects on gas supply from Russia to PRC. “The parties may set to executing such projects upon completion of commercial talks,” highlighted Alexander Ananenkov.

The Joint Coordinating Committee found it necessary to boost the preparation of the Principle Terms for natural gas supply from Russia to China. The JCC ordered to continue technical consultations regarding organization of supplies, as well as to elaborate the actual projects on gas processing in Russia and of cooperation in third countries. The JCC discussed the prospects for developing cooperation in the environmental protection and energy saving areas, as well as recognized this activity as having a crucial importance.

The meeting signed Agreements on sci-tech cooperation and interaction in staff training and qualification upgrading between Gazprom and CNPC.

The 7th JCC meeting is to be held in China in 2009.

Background:

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is the largest state-owned petroleum corporation of China (participation of the Government – 100 per cent) and is one of the leading integrated oil and gas production companies of the world

Incorporated in 1998 on the platform of the former PRC Ministry of Petroleum Industry, CNPC is comprised today of companies catering for oil & gas exploration, development, production, transmission, storage, as well as oil refining, petrochemicals and research. CNPC is the largest crude oil producer & supplier and retains a dominating position in oil & gas production, processing and marketing in China. CNPC and its subsidiaries supply 79 per cent of the domestic oil market, control 95 per cent and 40 per cent of the PRC’s natural gas and petroleum markets, respectively, and are involved in 28 international investment projects.

Gazprom and CNPC signed the Agreement on Strategic Cooperation on 14 October 2004 in Beijing within the official visit of the Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Agreement covers a wide spectrum of joint businesses including scrupulous discussion of issues relative to the organization of Gazprom’s natural gas deliveries to the PRC. To steer the Agreement implementation, the parties set up the Joint Coordinating Committee. The Committee resolved to set up the Joint Working Group to provide execution of the Agreement, as well as working groups for major joint businesses.