Alexander Ananenkov, Acting Chairman of Gazprom Management Committee, held a working meeting on the implementation of the 2002-2006 Plan for synchronized commissioning of priority gas transmission facilities to provide exports via the Yamal – Europe gas pipeline (Northern Tyumen Region (NTR) - Torzhok, Yamal-Europe) and construct gas transmission facilities (Pochinki-Izobilnoye-North Stavropol UGS facility) in order to guarantee export supplies via the Blue Stream gas pipeline in 2005.

Top management and experts representing respective departments of Gazprom administration, affiliated gas transmission companies, and Gazkomlektimpex, Yamalgazinvest, Gazpromstroyengineering, joined the meeting.

Construction of natural gas compressing units include those that are part of the NTR - Torzhok and Yamal-Europe gas pipelines, and the trunk gas pipelines of NTR -Torzhok, and Pochinki-Izobilnoye- North Stavropol UGS facility.

It was noted at the meeting that a considerable workload of the first half of 2005 was completed. This includes the preparation for bringing into operation the Panadinskaya gas compressor station, Novourengoyskaya gas compressing station – 2 (GKS-2), and Vuktylskaya, Ukhtinskaya, Myshkinskaya compressor units that are under construction. These facilities will be brought into operation in 2005 as previously planned.

In 2005, within the Urengoy natural gas hub expansion and NTR - Torzhok trunk gas pipeline construction, 736.4 km of trunk gas pipelines will also be laid and fully operational.

Krupskaya, Slonimskaya, Orshanskaya and Minskaya gas compressor stations located in Belarus as well as Kholm-Zhirkovskaya and Rzhevskaya stations located in Russia are planned to be fully operational in 2005. The meeting participants also reviewed the construction progress, and made up the decision to guarantee appropriate commencement of the compressing station operation.

The Pochinki-Izobilnoye-North Stavropol UGS facility construction involves other two compressor stations, namely Novopetrovskaya and Zhirnovskaya, and additional construction of 305 km of the trunk line.

In 2005, Gazprom plans to bring into operation 1,500 km of trunk pipelines and branches, 17 compressor units at trunk parts of the gas transmission system, and 2 compressor stations at the UGS facility.

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