Dmitry Baranov, senior expert of Finam Management

– Rosatom-Gazprom agreement proves that both companies are successful and confident of their future

Chairman of the Board of Gazprom OJSC Aleksey Miller and Director General of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation Sergey Kiriyenko signed a six-year general cooperation agreement. The agreeing parties are planning to implement strategic projects to develop sea and shelf gas deposits (Shtokmanovsky deposit, deposits in Yamal and the Far East); to supply electricity to gas transportation networks for supply of gas to regions of the Russian Federation and export of gas to Western Europe and South-east Asia; to coordinate inter-related investment projects; to develop new technologies, designing competitive (import-substituting) production for enhancing the efficiency of prospecting, extraction, transportation, storage, processing of natural gas and gas condensate. The parties are also planning to develop a program of scientific-technical cooperation to be renewed each three years and to set up a council for coordination of joint action under strategic projects and investment programs.

The conclusion of six-year agreement by Rosatom and Gazprom has proved that both companies are successful and confident of their future. This agreement will benefit not only the companies but the whole economy as it will help to improve the energy supply situation in the country, to reduce gas losses (due to use of advanced scientific-technical solutions of Rosatom in the gas transportation sector) and to increase currency revenues into the national budget.

This agreement will also strengthen the scientific-technical potential of the country and will help it to introduce new gas mining and transportation technologies. It may also be helpful to other industries, which may reap the fruits of this cooperation.

Joint development of Shtomanovskygas deposit is just one example of possible cooperation. Rosatom may build a floating NPP, which might supply this project with energy.

This agreement may encourage companies from other industries to conclude similar agreements with Rosatom so as to avail themselves of its scientific-technical capacities and achievements and to use them for their own benefit and for the benefit of the whole economy.