Gazprom’s Management Committee has reviewed subsidiary performance over the autumn/winter 2005-2006 heating season and emphasized that within the reporting period Gazprom’s subsidiaries had secured sustainable gas deliveries to Russian and foreign consumers despite the exceptionally cold weather prevailing over a continuous period.

The Management Committee pointed to the precise and coherent actions of all the structural units and subsidiaries of Gazprom when supplying gas to consumers.

To ensure reliable & uninterrupted operation of the United Gas Transmission System (UGTS) within the autumn/winter 2006-2007 period the Management Committee tasked the core business units with:

- developing and submitting for the Management Committee Chairman’s approval the major guidelines of subsidiary preparations for the upcoming autumn/winter heating season;

- developing a set of measures aimed at maintaining adequate gas consumption rates in case of exceptionally low temperatures during the autumn/winter season;

- providing scheduled preventive maintenance:

• stockpiling 63 bcm of commercial gas reserves at domestic UGS facilities by the start of the next autumn/winter period;
• bringing online gas transmission facilities as stipulated by the Plan on the synchronized commissioning of top priority transmission capacities for ensuring exports by the Yamal-Europe line between 2002 and 2006;
• hooking production wells on fields and at UGS facilities in accordance with the Gazprom investment program for 2006.

Gazprom’s subsidiaries were entrusted with:

• timely completing the preparation of Gazprom subsidiaries’ infrastructure for operation between 2006 and 2007, namely fulfilling existing plans & programs for the upgrading, overhaul and diagnostics of gas production, transmission, underground storage and processing facilities in 2006;
• ensuring the preparation of transportation vehicles and specialized equipment for operation during the autumn/winter 2006-2007 season.

Reference:

Over the autumn/winter 2005-2006 period Gazprom has extracted 294.2 bcm of gas, 4.3 bcm up on the same period between 2004 and 2005.

Due to a considerable buildup of production capacities in recent years, during the sharp cold spell in January-February 2006 gas withdrawal from fields was at its maximum in order to secure deliveries to consumers, with the major buildup reached at new fields including Zapolyarnoye, Pestsovoye, Vyngayakhinskoye and Yety-Purovskoye.

Russian consumers received 254.5 bcm of gas, which is 5.5 bcm up on the identical period between 2004 and 2005.

137.2 bcm of gas was sold abroad, 6 bcm up on the previous autumn/winter season.

Because of the low temperatures gas retrieval from Russian UGS facilities accounted for 48.3 bcm, 5.1 bcm up on the same period between 2004 and 2005, with 572.3 MMcm/d offtaken in January, which is the maximum daily amount withdrawn ever.