OREANDA-NEWS. August 31, 2010.  The Gazprom headquarters hosted today a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee and Leonid Markelov, President of the Mari El Republic.

The meeting addressed the progress with the bilateral Cooperation Agreement. In particular, the parties discussed further gasification of the region and noted that in 2009 the Mari El Government had fully met its obligations on consumer preparation for gas delivery.
Background

The Cooperation Agreement was entered into between Gazprom and the Mari El Government in 2005 and extended in 2010. The Gasification Accord was signed in 2002.

In 2006–2008 Gazprom invested RUB 457 million in the Republic gasification.

Thus, RUB 220 million was earmarked to construct an inter-settlement gas pipeline in 2009. In its turn, the Government of the Republic sponsored construction of 18 kilometer long street networks, reconstruction of four boiler houses and preparation of 472 households for gas supply.

Owing to the Russian Regions Gasification Program being implemented by Gazprom, natural gas penetration in the Mari El Republic showed a 12.4 per cent increase within the period from 2006 to 2009, reaching 74 per cent as of January 1, 2010. The identical figure throughout Russia averages 63.2 per cent.

In 2010 Gazprom is to allocate RUB 152 million for the Mari El Republic gasification.