The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed the operating results of the Company's subsidiaries and organizations over the 2015–2016 autumn/winter period (from October to March) and discussed the measures to be taken for ensuring an uninterrupted gas supply to consumers in the 2016–2017 autumn/winter period.
It was noted that in the past winter season Gazprom had provided sustainable gas deliveries to consumers in the Russian Federation and abroad. Gas was supplied to domestic consumers without limitation, and particular attention was paid to the reliability of gas deliveries to socially significant facilities, public utility enterprises, and population. Gas was exported to foreign buyers as per their requests.
Gazprom employs a systematic approach to securing stable gas supplies to consumers by, among other things, taking thorough and timely preparations for the cold season. The Company continuously develops its gas production, transmission and storage capacities and carries out all scheduled preventive maintenance and repair works.
Gazprom keeps actively expanding its underground gas storage (UGS) system. Specifically, by the 2015–2016 withdrawal season the maximum daily deliverability of UGS facilities in Russia grew by 2.5 per cent to 789.9 million cubic meters compared to the previous season. Over the past five autumn/winter periods, the maximum daily deliverability increased by a total of 22 per cent. By the 2016–2017 autumn/winter period, it is projected to reach 801.3 million cubic meters, a record high in the history of Russia's gas industry, or 841.3 million cubic meters with UGS facilities in Armenia and Belarus factored in.
In order to ensure the reliable operation of the Unified Gas Supply System in the 2016–2017 autumn/winter period, the Gazprom Management Committee tasked the Company's specialized structural units and subsidiaries with the following assignments:
- to stockpile at least 72.098 billion cubic meters of gas reserves in UGS facilities in Russia, 1.09 billion cubic meters in Belarus, and 0.13 billion cubic meters in Armenia by the next withdrawal season;
- to implement the Basic Guidelines on preparing the facilities of Gazprom's subsidiaries and organizations for the 2016–2017 autumn/winter period; and
- to perform scheduled preventive maintenance and repair at gas production, transmission, underground storage and processing facilities, as well as to prepare transportation vehicles and specialized equipment for operation during the winter season.
