Gazprom history 2006 On January 1

On March 20, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Anatoly Artamonov, Governor of the Kaluga Oblast signed a network schedule for gas supply infrastructure construction in the Kaluga Oblast.

On March 20, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Nobuyori Kodaira, Director General of the Natural Resources & Energy Agency of the Japanese Economy, Trade & Industry Ministry. The parties discussed the prospects for further collaboration in the oil & gas sector, as stipulated by the November 2005 Agreement on Cooperation.

On March 20, Gazprom and the Kirov Oblast Administration signed a network schedule of gasification.

On March 21, within the Gazprom delegation visit to the People’s Republic of China, Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed a Protocol on natural gas supply from Russia to PRC, fixing major accords as for the gas supply timing, amount and routes (Eastern and Western), and gas pricing formula principles.

On March 23, Gazprom and the Kaliningrad Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for gas supply infrastructure construction in the region.

On March 23, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Zsolt Hernadi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Hungarian oil & gas company MOL. The parties addressed matters of cooperation in the oil & gas sector, placing a focus on Russian natural gas deliveries to and transit across Hungary. The parties also looked into the joint implementation of projects aimed at developing gas transmission capacities and a network of underground gas storage facilities in Hungary.

On March 24, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Paolo Scaroni, Chief Executive Officer of ENI. The participants expressed a common opinion that further development of long-term partnership ties between Gazprom and ENI had vast potential within a variety of joint projects. Alexey Miller also met with met with Umberto Quadrino, Chief Executive Officer of Edison and Fulvio Conti, Chief Executive Officer & General Manager of Enel.

On March 28, within the working visit of Gazprom delegation to the Republic of Tajikistan, Gazprom and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan signed a Memorandum on further cooperation in the energy sector. The Memorandum fixes the mutual intentions to establish a joint venture for exploration, production and marketing of natural gas as well as for the upgrading of existing and creation of new gas transmission capacities in Tajikistan.

On March 29, the Board of Directors approved proposals to reorganize Gazprom subsidiaries in the aim of consolidating the core business activities into specialized subsidiaries with a 100 per cent share of Gazprom including: Gazprom-UGS, Gazprompererabotka, Gazprompodzemremont-North, Gazprompodzemremont-South, Gazpromtransgaz-Kuban as well as increase of Gazprom share in Gazpromtrans to 100 per cent.

On March 29, Gazprom and the Tver Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for the gasification of the Tver Oblast.

On March 29, Gazprom and the Ulyanovsk Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for the gasification of the Ulyanovsk Oblast.

On March 30, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Dmitry Kazakov, Director General of Beltransgaz. The parties discussed the main issues of bilateral cooperation and terms of Russian gas supply in 2007. The parties also reviewed the progress with the independent assessment of Belarus’ gas transmission system market value.

On March 30, Gazprom and the Orenburg Oblast Administration signed the Agreement of cooperation and network schedule for construction of gasification facilities.

On March 30, President of the Russian Federation awarded Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee with the Medal “For Merits before Motherland Of IV Degree”. The Russian Federation Order stipulates that Alexey Miller is awarded “For Achievements in the Gas Industry Development of the Russian Federation”. Sergey Kupriyanov was awarded with the same Order “For Achieved Labor Successes and Long-Term Conscientious Work”.

On March 31, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Valentina Matviyenko, Governor of St. Petersburg addressed the implementation of the joint project for the construction of the St. Petersburg based Gazprom-City Business Center.

In March, Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Gazobezopasnost (a 100 per cent Gazprom subsidiary) were awarded with the National Prize “for the Russian security strengthening”. The award was given “for exclusive contribution to strengthen Russia’s security”.

In March, Finance magazine published the list of the most successful women of Russia due to the results of 2005. Elena Karpel, Member of the Gazprom Board of Directors joined the list of the most successful female representatives.

On April 3, Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas AG inked an Agreement on sci-tech cooperation, staff training and qualification upgrading. To coordinate the implementation of the Agreement, the parties set up a Coordinating Committee comprised on a par of representatives of Gazprom and E.ON Ruhrgas AG.

On April 3, a final stage of the talks between Gazprom and the companies included in the short-list of bidders for the first phase of the Shtokman project began at the Gazprom Headquarters. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee held meetings with Helge Lund, President & Chief Executive Officer of Statoil and David O'Reilly, Chairman of the Board of Directors & Chief Executive Officer of Chevron Corporation.

On April 4, within the final stage of the talks between Gazprom and the companies included in the short-list of bidders for the first phase of the Shtokman project Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Eivind Reiten, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro. The parties discussed existing bids for the project.

On April 5, Alexander Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Son Hee Soo, Executive Vice-President of KOGAS Korea Gas Corporation. The parties discussed the prospects for Gazprom gas supply to the Republic of Korea through an integrated export channel.

On April 5, Gazprom and the Vladimir Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for gas supply infrastructure construction in the region.

On April 5, Gazprom and the Volgograd Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for gas supply infrastructure construction in the region.

On April 5, Gazprom and the Kostroma Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for gas supply infrastructure construction in the region.

On April 6, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Jean-Francois Cirelli, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gaz de France. The parties addressed the prospects for cooperation in the energy sector, placing a focus on potential extension of existing long-term contracts for Russian natural gas deliveries to France, boosting of supply volumes and Gazprom operations in the French gas market undergoing liberalization.

On April 6, Gazprom and the Government of the Republic of Armenia inked a 25-year Agreement identifying the strategic principles of cooperation in the gas & energy sector of the Republic of Armenia. The Agreement stipulated ArmRosgazprom acquiring from the Armenian Government a 40 km long stretch of the Iran –Armenia gas pipeline and the fifth power generating unit of the Razdan CHP (Razdan-5) as well as Armenia’s gas industry facilities. In accordance with the Agreement, until January 1, 2009 the price of Russian natural gas for the Republic of Armenia is 110 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

On April 6, the final stage of the talks between Gazprom and the companies included in the short-list of bidders for the first phase of the Shtokman project continued at the Gazprom Headquarters. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee held meetings with Jim Mulva, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of ConocoPhillips and Thierry Desmarest, Chief Executive Officer of Total Group. The parties discussed existing bids for the Shtokman project.

On April 6, Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Bernardo Ivo Cruz, Under Secretary of State Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal. The parties discussed the prospects for Russian natural gas & (primarily) LNG deliveries to the Portuguese market and for Gazprom acquisition of existing and planned regasification & transmission capacities in Portugal. The participants also studied ways of promoting cooperation between Gazprom and the Portuguese company Galp Energia within energy projects in Angola and other Portuguese speaking countries.

On April 11, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Kojima Yorihiko, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Corporation. The parties discussed proposals by Mitsubishi Corporation on cooperation within oil & gas projects in Russia, including within the Shtokman and Baltic LNG projects. The parties also investigated the possibility of promoting interaction in LNG spot trade.

On April 11, Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with His Royal Highness Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Jeannot Krecky, Luxembourgish Minister for the Economy and Foreign Trade. The parties discussed potential joint energy businesses, in third countries inclusive.

On April 11, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Gholamreza Ansari, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Russia. The parties addressed matters of bilateral cooperation in the oil & gas sector, placing a focus on potential interaction in Iranian gas exports to third countries as well as Gazprom participation in projects aimed at creating Iranian gas export flows through involvement in the entire gas value chain, from upstream to retail. In that regard, Gazprom participation in the Iran – Pakistan - India pipeline project and in one or two phases of the South Pars field project with subsequent hydrocarbon exports were highlighted as the top priority joint businesses.

On April 11, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Jan-Paul Dirkse, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Russia. The parties discussed issues in relation to Russian gas deliveries to Europe including the UK as well as potential natural gas transmission through Germany and the Netherlands by the BBL (Balgzand Bacton Line) pipeline currently under construction. The parties reviewed the prospects for cooperation between Gazprom and N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie within the North European Pipeline Project (Nord Stream).

On April 11, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Ioan Donca, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to Russia. The parties discussed the prospects for bilateral cooperation in the oil & gas sector, including for deliveries to and increased transit of Russian gas across Romania. Given the decreasing natural gas extraction in Romania the parties looked into joint construction and upgrading of UGS facilities in Romania.

On April 12, the Hague hosted a working meeting between Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, Economic Affairs Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The parties studied possibilities of boosting Russian gas deliveries to the Netherlands by the proposed North European Gas Pipeline (Nord Stream) and supplying natural gas to the UK through Germany and the Netherlands by the BBL (Balgzand Bacton Line) pipeline currently under construction. The parties also discussed the prospects for cooperation between Gazprom and NV Nederlandse Gasunie within the NEGP project.

On April 13, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Besnik Mustafaj, Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The parties discussed the prospects for the Russian-Albanian cooperation in the gas sector, placing a focus on potential construction of gas transmission capacities for Russian gas supply to Albania and transmission to third countries including Italy.

On April 13, the Gazprom Management Committee reviewed subsidiary performance over the autumn/winter 2005-2006 heating season and emphasized that within the reporting period Gazprom subsidiaries had secured sustainable gas deliveries to Russian and foreign consumers despite the exceptionally cold weather prevailing over a continuous period. The Management Committee pointed to the precise and coherent actions of all the structural units and subsidiaries of Gazprom when supplying gas to consumers.

On April 14, Gazprom delegation led by Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, paid a visit to the Republic of Bulgaria. Within the visit, Alexander Medvedev met with Rumen Ovcharov, Economy and Energy Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria. The meeting’s participants agreed in nearby future to round off talks on accommodation of economically feasible transit cost and prolongation of current Transit Contract’s terms up to and including 2020.

On April 18, the meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and ambassadors of the EU countries in Russia was held at the residence of the Ambassador of Austria in the Russian Federation. Various aspects of interrelations between Russia and the European Union in the energy field were touched at the meeting. In particular, the parties discussed prospects for development of Europe’s energy sector in the context of gas markets liberalization and increase in competition between the largest centers of energy consumption (Europe, America and Asia) for the acсess to hydrocarbon resources.

On April 18-19, the first meeting of the Joint working group of Gazprom and Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) was held. Parties coordinated bilateral cooperation in Russia and India as well as oil and gas projects in Asia, Middle East, North Africa, South America and CIS countries.

On April 19, Gazprom and the Astrakhan Oblast Administration signed a five-year Agreement of cooperation and network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Astrakhan Oblast.

On April 19, Gazprom and the Voronezh Oblast Administration signed a network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Voronezh Oblast.

On April 20, Andrey Rossinsky was appointed to the post of Director General of Burgaz by the Gazprom Management Committee Chairman Alexey Miller.

On April 20, the Gazprom Management Committee considered questions concerning preparation and hosting the Company’s Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting. The Management Committee approved the proposal to conduct Gazprom shareholders annual General meeting on June 30, 2006. Additionally, the Management Committee submitted proposals to the Board of Directors to pay dividends according to results of the Company’s activity in 2005. The Management Committee also approved and submitted for consideration of the company’s Board of Directors the project of changes to Gazprom Charter due to Federal Law “On joint-stock companies” amendments coming into force on July 1, 2006.

On April 20, the Gazprom Headquarters hosted a working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and William Burns, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to the Russian Federation. The parties held talks over Gazprom work on defining partners for the Shtokman gas condensate field development. The meeting also discussed conditions and prospects of Russian American cooperation for the technology sector of LNG production as well as expansion of the regasification capacities & LNG deliveries to the US market.

On April 21, a network schedule for the commissioning of gasification facilities in the Leningrad Oblast as well as the Agreement of cooperation between Gazprom and the Administration of the Leningrad Oblast was signed.

On April 21, Gazprom and the Penza Oblast Administration signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Penza Oblast.

On April 21, the Kursk Oblast Administration and Gazprom signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Kursk Oblast.

On April 24, the Altay Krai Administration and Gazprom signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Altay Krai.

On April 24, the Arkhangelsk Oblast Administration and Gazprom signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Arkhangelsk Oblast.

On April 24, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Nikolai Merkushkin, President of the Republic of Mordovia signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Republic of Mordovia as well as the Agreement of cooperation.

On April 24, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Alexander Volkov, President of the Udmurt Republic signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Udmurt Republic.

On April 26, Gazprom and the Yaroslavl Oblast Administration signed the network schedule for the construction of gasification facilities in the Yaroslavl Oblast.

On April 27, during Russian-German consultations in presence of Vladimir Putin, RF President, and Angela Merkel, FRG Federal Chancellor, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Jurgen Hambrecht, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF AG, signed in Tomsk the Agreement on assets exchange in gas production and natural gas trade. According to the Agreement, Gazprom will increase its part in the Russian-German joint venture WINGAS GmbH up to 50% minus one share. Additionally, Gazprom will get its share in the capital of one of Wintershall AG group companies owing shares in geological and production assets in Libya.

On April 28, members of the Gazprom Management Committee met with Council Presidium of the Interregional Trade Union (ITU). The parties took to notice the results the General Collective Agreement performed by Gazprom and its subsidiaries in 2005. The meeting marked that obligations fixed in the Collective Agreement had been mostly fulfilled.