Gazprom reserves at least 64 billion cubic meters in Russia’s underground gas storages

It was stressed that in the reporting period Gazprom’s subsidiaries had ensured sustainable gas deliveries to Russian consumers and abroad. The operating conditions were featured with the gas demand recovery on all sales markets from mid-2009 and with low weather temperatures in Russia from December 2009 occasionally dipping well below the climate normals and the actual values of the previous years.
“Gazprom has not only ensured reliable and uninterrupted gas supplies to Russian and foreign consumers, but also considerably increased the supply amount. Over the last autumn–winter period our Company provided the domestic and the foreign markets with additional 15.8 and 20.9 billion cubic meters of gas, respectively, as compared to the identical period of 2008–2009. This is another vivid demonstration of the gas market improvement,” said Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.
In order to ensure reliable and uninterrupted operation of the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) within the autumn/winter 2010–2011 period, the Gazprom Management Committee tasked the specialized subdivisions with the following assignments:
    * developing the Basic Guidelines on preparing the assets of Gazprom’s subsidiaries for operation during the autumn/winter 2010–2011 period;
    * performing scheduled preventive maintenance and repair work at UGSS facilities and stockpile at least 64 billion cubic meters of marketable gas reserves in Russia’s underground gas storages by the next autumn/winter season start-up.
Gazprom’s subsidiaries were tasked to:
    * implement diagnostics, overhauling and upgrading plans and programs for 2010 at gas production, transmission, underground storage and processing facilities;
    * timely fulfill the Basic Guidelines on preparing the assets of Gazprom’s subsidiaries for operation during the autumn/winter 2010–2011 season;
    * prepare transportation and specialized equipment and vehicles for operation during the autumn/winter 2010–2011 period.
In 2009 Gazprom performed the full scope of the scheduled preventive maintenance and repair work at UGSS facilities as had been planned. The number of  accidents at gas pipelines was 30 per cent lower versus 2008.
Last year the Company put onstream a comprehensive gas treatment unit (CGTU) in the second area of the Achimov deposits and two compressor stations for associated petroleum gas (APG) utilization in the Urengoy field.
It is projected to put production capacities onstream and to launch gas production from the Valanginian deposits in the Zapolyarnoye field and the Cenomanian deposit of the Zapadno-Pestsovaya area in the Urengoy field, as well as from the Kshukskoye field on the Kamchatka Peninsula, in order to achieve the planned gas production indicators in 2010. It is planned to commission two CGTUs and booster compressor stations with the aggregate capacity of 30 MW.