In Yakutsk Alexander Ananenkov, Acting Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Vyacheslav Shtyrov, President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) have signed today an Agreement of cooperation.

The document particularly mirrors the role of Gazprom as a coordinator appointed by the Russian Government to execute the Program for Development of the Unified Gas Production, Transportation and Supply System in Eastern Siberia and the Far East due to Possible Gas Export to Chinese Markets and other Asia Pacific Countries as well as the Sakha Republic importance for the future oil and gas production center pursuant to the said Program (Eastern Program).

The Agreement stipulates the following major directions for the joint work in the frames of the Eastern Program implementation:

• joint participation in the development and execution of gas supply & gasification projects and programs;
• preparation and implementation of the hydrocarbon field prospecting, exploration and development projects;
• organization of the regional processing and chemical production;
• energy saving technologies development and implementation;
• preparation and coordination of the regional fuel and energy balances due to the efficient local resources usage;
• a complex ecological monitoring program development of the environment.

Alexander Ananenkov and Vyacheslav Shtyrov moderated a working meeting on exploration prospects for gas reserves of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), gas transportation and processing capacities development, gas supply system development and gasification in the region.

“The approved Eastern Program by the Russian Federation Government in June 2007 put on agenda practical issues relevant to further exploration, preparation for gas reserves development in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) and introduces these gas reserves to the market through the gas transportation system construction in the unified corridor with the constructed Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean oil pipeline system,” concluded Alexander Ananenkov.

“Gazprom’s major plans to develop the regional gas resources are an important part for the social and economic development program of the Sakha Republic, which will receive necessary support from our side,” underscored Vyacheslav Shtyrov.

Reference:

The Eastern Program was approved within the Government Commission meeting on issues relevant to the fuel and energy complex and mineral resource base reproduction on June 15, 2007 and stipulated a complex method to develop the regional gas reserves enabling to identify the most rational time and subsequence for field development due to maintenance and prospects for the Russian internal gas market development, potential for export sales in Asia Pacific countries, unified gas transportation system development in Eastern Russia. Pursuant to the Program, the Yakutia’s gas production center is identified as a basic center in the East of Russia.

Under the Russian Federation Government instruction ? 975-p as of July 16, 2002 Gazprom was tasked to function as a coordinator of the Eastern Program execution.

The Sakha Republic Government developed and approved the federal structure of the Complex Production, Transport and Power Industry Development Scheme up to 2020 and the South Yakutia Complex Development Project that also stipulate development of the gas production and processing center in the Republic.

The previous five-year Agreement of cooperation between Gazprom and the Sakha Republic was signed in March 2001.

At present Gazprom does not supply gas to the regional consumers.