A meeting of the Inter-Agency Council in charge of implementing the Agreement of Cooperation between St. Petersburg and Gazprom was held today in St. Petersburg by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee, and Alexander Beglov, Governor of St. Petersburg.
The parties reviewed the outcomes of their cooperation in the 2019–2021 period that was aimed at providing reliable gas supplies, implementing thermal power generation projects, and expanding the NGV market, as well as building state-of-the-art sports facilities and creating a comfortable urban environment.
Among other things, Gazprom put into operation the Lagolovo gas distribution station, thereby considerably enhancing the reliability of gas supplies to the Gatchinsky and Lomonosovsky Districts of the Leningrad Region, to the southern and central districts of St. Petersburg, and to the Yugo-Zapadnaya CHPP, which reinforced the operational stability of the city’s energy system. Efforts were made to upgrade the city’s heat supply networks. The number of Gazprom’s gas refueling stations almost doubled (up to 15 units), and the sales of the eco-friendly vehicle fuel grew nearly twofold.
The Company constructed three modern sports complexes for ice sports, swimming, athletics, training in basketball, volleyball, futsal and other sports, as well as outdoor school stadiums and sports grounds. Gazprom continued pursuing projects for the comprehensive improvement of the urban environment. Measures were taken to provide artistic lighting for architectural ensembles, renovate exterior lighting, pave sidewalks with granite, install small-scale urban landscape architecture, replace doors, and create green spaces. Since 2007, urban improvement works have covered 80 streets, mini-gardens, embankments and squares in the city’s historical districts.
Alexey Miller and Alexander Beglov signed the Accord for cooperation in the new triennial period of 2022–2024.
Pursuant to the Accord, the core activities of Gazprom will include efforts for further improvement of the reliability of gas supplies to consumers in St. Petersburg, namely the continued renovation of the Serpukhov – Leningrad and Belousovo – Leningrad gas trunklines.
In order to expand the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, Gazprom plans to build 11 Company-owned CNG filling stations. In their turn, the city authorities will ensure the procurement of new gas-powered vehicles.
Special attention will be paid to the development of the city’s heat supply network. For instance, Gazprom plans to construct a new hot-water boiler at the Central CHPP to increase the reliability of heat supplies to consumers in the historical center of St. Petersburg. The Government of St. Petersburg, on its part, will continue working to reduce consumer debt for the supplied heat.
Another area of cooperation covers urban improvement and the implementation of socially significant infrastructure projects, including Lakhta Center 2. In particular, to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Peter the Great’s birth, the northern shoreline of the Lakhta harbor will undergo an improvement and a memorial sign “Peter the Great Saves the Drowning near Lakhta” will be erected. It is planned to create the Poltava Sailboat cultural and historical center, as well as the Eco-Gallery, and to develop sports, cultural and leisure infrastructure of the coastline of the Park of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg. The integrated artistic illumination of the city’s marine facade will become the unifying element of the infrastructure being created.
As part of the Gazprom for Children program, it is planned to, inter alia, build new sports and health centers.
In the course of the meeting of the Inter-Agency Council, an agreement was also signed between Gazprom, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, and the Government of St. Petersburg. The document provides for cooperation in the development of hi-tech industrial potential of St. Petersburg for the benefit of the gas sector.
Background
Gazprom and the Government of St. Petersburg sign cooperation contracts in furtherance of the Agreement of Cooperation concluded between them. The Roadmap of the project for the expanded use of hi-tech products of St. Petersburg enterprises in the interests of the Company was also signed between Gazprom and St. Petersburg.
As of January 1, 2021, the gas penetration rate in St. Petersburg stood at 94.3 per cent. In December 2020, the gas supply and gas infrastructure expansion program of St. Petersburg was signed for the five-year period of 2021–2025. The planned amount of Gazprom’s investments is RUB 11.247 billion. By the year 2026, the gas grid development in St. Petersburg will be completed to the maximum extent technically possible.
In March 2021, Gazprom, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, KAMAZ, and the Government of St. Petersburg signed an agreement under which the parties will consolidate their efforts to achieve a phased conversion of the city’s road and waterborne passenger transport and municipal vehicles to natural gas.
Over 35 sports facilities, including sports and health centers, have been built in St. Petersburg under the Gazprom for Children program.
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