Gazprom’s Headquarters today hosted a meeting of the Gazprom and RF Navy’s Joint Working Group, co-presided by Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee and Vladimir Kuroyedov, the RF Navy Commander-in-Chief and Fleet Admiral.

The meeting summed up Gazprom and the RF Navy’s joint activities over 2004, including:

• preliminary comparative analysis for potential locations of a LNG plant on the Barents Sea coast, on the platform of the Gazprom’s specialists’ trip to the Northern Fleet;
• proposals to use naval ships and infrastructure as key elements of sea-borne gas transportation;
• conception for the implementation of investment projects on compressed gas transportation by gas carriers.

Alexander Ananenkov and Vladimir Kuroyedov appreciated the results of cooperation over 2004 and deliberated on major joint businesses for 2005.

Gazprom and the RF Navy are particularly intent on promoting cooperation in:

• constructing the North-European gas pipeline (NEGP);
• creating within Gazprom an LNG production and shipping system;
• transporting by sea high-pressure gas.

Over 2005, the parties intend to perform a feasibility study of and underpin rational placement of a gas liquefaction plant in the Arctic region, taking into account potential use of the Northern Fleet facilities and supporting infrastructure.

At the same time, Gazprom’s specialists plan to finalize within 2005 the study of naval vessels and infrastructure, namely to explore in depth the Black Sea and Caspian Fleet facilities. Earlier, the Baltic, Pacific and Northern Fleets underwent identical scrutiny.

After debating the outlooks of cooperation, Alexander Ananenkov and Vladimir Kuroyedov signed the 2005 Plan for the Gazprom and Navy’s joint energy resource exploitation in the RF offshore and enhanced security of the marine oil and gas development facilities.

Alexander Ananenkov and Vladimir Kuroyedov underscored the need to deepen cooperation between Gazprom and the Navy, tasking the Working Group with stepping up proposals to expand interaction in certain issues given existing joint promising projects.

“Supporting the Navy with its experience and technologies will allow us to substantially enhance the efficiency of compressed and liquefied gas transmission, hydrocarbon field development and offshore pipeline construction,” – maintained Alexander Ananenkov.

“We’re set to promote cooperation with Gazprom at maximum along with intensively backing the Company’s onshore and offshore projects,” – said Vladimir Kuroyedov.

Reference:

On 19 October 2002, Gazprom and the RF Navy signed the Protocol on intentions to promote interaction and long-term cooperation in the Russian Federation oil and gas offshore exploration and development.

Between 27 and 30 September 2004, Gazprom and the Navy’s experts visited the Northern Fleet facilities, inspecting potential building sites for a gas liquefaction plant.

In January 2005, possible building sites were examined by Giprospetsgaz.

DIVISION OF RELATIONS WITH MASS MEDIA