On July 15, 2009 Moscow hosted a meeting of the Coordinating Committee for Sci-Tech Cooperation between Gazprom and Dutch Gasunie chaired by Vlada Rusakova, Member of the Management Committee, Head of the Strategic Development Department of Gazprom and Pieter Trienekens, Member of the Executive Board, Director of Participations and Business Development of Gasunie.

The parties discussed the progress with the Program for Sci-Tech Cooperation between Gazprom and Gasunie. The Program includes joint activities in dispatch management of gas transmission systems, energy saving, environmental protection, integrity management and technical state estimation in gas pipelines. The meeting also paid attention to the new priorities in scientific researches in the current economic environment.

Based on the meeting results, the parties emphasized the constructive character of the cooperation between Gazprom and Gasunie.

Background:

Gasunie is a European gas infrastructure company. Its gas transmission network ranks among the largest high-pressure gas pipeline grids in Europe, consisting of over 15,000 km of pipelines in the Netherlands and northern Germany and approximately 1,300 gas receiving stations. The annual throughput capacity of the gas network totals some 125 billion cubic meters. Gasunie offers transportation services via its subsidiaries Gas Transport Services B.V. in the Netherlands and Gasunie Deutschland in Germany. In addition, the company offers other services in the gas infrastructure sector including natural gas and LNG storage.

On November 6, 2007 Gazprom and Gasunie signed the Umbrella Agreement to partner in the Nord Stream and BBL gas pipeline projects. On June 10, 2008 Gasunie was added into the Nord Stream AG shareholders register as a new shareholder and obtained a 9 per cent stake in this joint venture.

On December 7, 2007 Gazprom and Gasunie signed the Agreement on Sci-Tech Cooperation.