Led by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee, a Gazprom delegation paid a working visit today to the Republic of Uzbekistan. As part of the visit Alexey Miller met with Rustam Azimov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan and Ulugbek Nazarov, Chairman of the Board of NHC Uzbekneftegaz.

The meeting discussed the terms for gas transit via the Republic of Uzbekistan and purchases of the Uzbek gas in 2009.

Background:

The Agreement on Strategic Cooperation in the gas industry was entered into by NHC Uzbekneftegaz and Gazprom on December 17, 2002. In particular, the Agreement stipulates long-term purchases of the Uzbek gas for the period between 2003 and 2012, Gazprom’s participation in natural gas production projects under the Production Sharing Agreement terms, as well as cooperation in the Uzbek gas transmission infrastructure development and channeling Central Asian gas via the Republican territory. Cooperation under the PSA terms to maintain gas extraction at the Shakhpakhty field is a pilot gas production project. The project’s PSA became effective on April 14, 2004. Said 0.5 bcmpa project opens ways towards implementing under the identical terms a larger gas exploration and production project in Uzbekistan’s Ustyurt region.

On February 5, 2005 Gazprom and Uztransgaz (sub-holding of NHC Uzbekneftegaz) signed the Mid-Term Agreement on natural gas transmission via the Republic of Uzbekistan over 2006 to 2010, pursuing the objective of transporting Central Asian and, first of all, Turkmenian natural gas using the Central Asia – Center (CAC) and Bukhara – Ural gas transmission systems running through the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Within the Agreement between Gazprom and NHC Uzbekneftegaz dated January 25, 2006, the work is underway on the geological survey of the subsurface resources in the Ustyurt region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.