On October 9, the international science and practice conference UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE: RELIABILITY AND EFFICIENCY took place during the Forum.
The plenary meeting of the conference covered new East-focused economic development centres and underground gas storage. Sergey Khan, Deputy Head of Department and Head of Directorate in Gazprom, moderated the conference. The panel discussion was participated by Igor Safonov — CEO of Gazprom UGS, officials and specialists from the companies that are part of Gazprom Group, as well as from CNPS (the People’s Republic of China) and SOCAR (the Republic of Azerbaijan), and representatives of the academic community.
In their reports, the speakers spoke about the part of underground gas storages in ensuring environmental safety, use of neuronet models for long-term growth of the industry, efficiency enhancement arrangements for UGSs, establishment of the gas backuping system in Far Eastern Regions, and other strategic initiatives.
“The importance of underground storages is gaining momentum because UGSs can level uneven consumption of both gas and energy in general. Next year, we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the underground gas storage technology being used in our country. Gazprom has obtained extensive experience in this regard, and we are ready to collaborate with our colleagues from other countries to develop this sector,” Sergey Khan said in his speech.
The conference included round table discussions about Geological and technological aspects of unconventional gasses storage — biogas, hydrogen, helium, and carbon dioxide, as well as UGS AS A RELIABLE TOOL FOR THE GAS SUPPLY SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT. Moreover, the gas community was presented the reference guide published in 2024 — “Underground Gas Storage. Global Review” edited by Vyacheslav Mikhalenko, Member of the Board and Head of Department in Gazprom.