In the frames of the official visit of Mikhail Fradkov, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a Gazprom delegation chaired by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee paid a working visit to Pakistan.

Alexander Ananenkov attended the meetings between the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation and Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan as well as representatives of the country’s business elite.

Prior to the Gazprom’s delegation visit to Pakistan, the city of Islamabad has hosted meetings of joint working groups as well as the second meeting of the joint Coordinating Committee set up in accordance with the Memorandum of understanding between Gazprom and the Ministry of oil and natural resources of Pakistan.

Within the meetings held, the parties discussed the outlook of cooperation in implementing the Memorandum of understanding. Special attention was paid to creation of general scheme for gas infrastructure development in Pakistan, Iran-Pakistan-India gas main construction project, cooperation in the oil & gas exploration and development sector, Pakistani UGS facility construction, LNG and CNG production as well as training and retraining of personnel involved in the Pakistani oil & gas sector based on Gazprom’s educational institutions.

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Being the sixth-largest in Asia Pacific (after Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, China and India), Pakistan’s proved natural gas reserves account for 960 bcm, with Sawan, Bhit, Zamzama, Sui, and Mari in Sindh and Baluchistan Provinces being the country’s major gas production areas.

Over 2005, Pakistan extracted 29.9 bcm of natural gas. The country does not export and import natural gas. The share of natural gas, oil, hydropower, coal and nuclear power in Pakistan’s energy balance makes up 48, 31, 12, 7 and 1 per cent, respectively. According to the forecasts, natural gas demand in Pakistan will jump to 44 bcm per year by 2010. The major natural gas producers in Pakistan are state-owned companies Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. (PPL).