Energy Ministry comments on gas exploration

The Russian Energy Ministry has elaborated a number of measures aimed atincreasing the production of fuel and energy resources in the Far EasternFederal District and in Eastern Siberia, the regions where there is ashortage of energy, the press service of the Ministry reported. In 2003 asingle program on exploring gas reserves in the eastern part of the countrywill be elaborated on. This document will envisage the construction of gasfacilities in Eastern Siberia and the Far East and the creation of acorresponding gas transportation system. The Energy Ministry believes thatan intensive exploration of gas reserves in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)and on the Sakhalin island are necessary to satisfy a demand for gas inthese regions.According to experts of the Ministry, the development of transportationinfrastructure plays an important role in providing the Far Eastern andEast Siberian regions with energy. One of the priority directions is theconstruction of a pipeline from Angarsk to Nakhodka. In the medium-longterm perspective it is planned to complete the construction of theSakhalin-Komsomolsk-Khabarovsk (the first line) and the Bilyuisk gasfield-Mastakh-Berge-Yakutsk pipelines.The region's demand for energy resources may be satisfied by broadening oiland gas production within the framework of the agreement on productsharing, the Ministry's report states. At present the Sakhalin-1 andSakhalin-2 projects are being implemented. The projects Sakhalin-land andSakhalin-3 are being elaborated on. To improve the situation with energysupply in the Kamchatka region questions of constructing a gas pipeline toPetropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and transferring the region's thermoelectric powerstations to gas are being considered..