UGS development in Europe bolstering reliability of gas supplies to consumers in winter

For Ulf Heitmueller, who had assumed the office of Chairman of the Executive Board of VNG this October, it was the first visit to Gazprom.

The parties expressed their appreciation for the partnership between the companies and discussed the prospects for further cooperation in the gas sector, paying particular attention to collaboration in gas supplies and underground gas storage.

Alexey Miller and Ulf Heitmueller noted the progress made within the Katharina UGS project: the facility currently includes six caverns with a total working gas capacity of 315 million cubic meters. The meeting participants stressed the importance of further developing UGS capacities in Europe with the purpose of increasing the reliability of gas supplies to consumers in winter periods.

VNG AG was the first private gas company established in East Germany. Today, VNG AG is part of VNG Group, which is comprised of more than 20 companies engaged in natural gas exploration, production, transmission, storage and marketing across Europe.

Gazprom and VNG are working together on the Katharina UGS facility, a joint project implemented on equal terms. When the facility reaches its design capacity in 2025, it will include 12 caverns with a total working gas capacity of some 650 million cubic meters and an aggregate daily deliverability of 26 million cubic meters.