Gazprom Asks Government's Support

Sergey Pankratov, Gazprom's perspective development department head, said that the company needs the government's support for the maximum effect of Gazprom?s program on selling gas to Eastern Siberia and Far East.

For this purpose the export policy should be implemented, which is based on the single export channel and the state should coordinate all export projects related to gas, crude oil, electric power and gas chemistry.

?If measured by gas, we expect crude oil and electric power export at around 40 bcm by 2010,? Pankratov said.

For China, the import of hydropower from Russia will cost less than its production based on the Russian gas, the analysts say, adding Gazprom won?t benefit from competition on Asian and Pacific markets. For instance, if the talks on Russia?s gas shipment to China started with prices of between $160 and $170 per a thousand of cubic meters, CNPC wants no more than $70 now, Kommersant daily reported.