Unified Gas Supply System of Russia
Gazprom owns the world’s largest gas transmission system, most of which forms part of the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) of Russia. The UGSS is a unique engineering complex encompassing gas production, processing, transmission, storage and distribution facilities in European Russia and Western Siberia. The UGSS assures continuous gas supply from the wellhead to the ultimate consumer.
Thanks to centralized control, an extensively branched structure, and parallel transmission routes, the UGSS has a substantial reliability margin and is able to secure uninterrupted gas supplies even under peak seasonal loads.
In addition, the Gazprom Group owns gas trunklines in the Russian Far East, namely the Sakhalin – Khabarovsk – Vladivostok and Sobolevo – Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky gas mains.
The overall length of the gas transmission system in Russia is 172,600 kilometers. Gas transmission is performed using 254 compressor stations with the aggregate capacity of gas compressor units totaling 47,100 MW.
Central Operations and Dispatch Department of Gazprom
Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System is controlled by Gazprom’s Central Operations and Dispatch Department, which is responsible for the round-the-clock, reliable and uninterrupted deliveries of natural gas to consumers in Russia and abroad.
Transmission volumes
Inflow and distribution of gas via Gazprom’s GTS in Russia, billion cubic meters
| For year ended December 31 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Inflow into gas transmission system (GTS) | |||||
| Inflow into GTS | 588.7 | 574.2 | 573.8 | 623.1 | 638.7 |
| including Central Asian gas |
26.4 | 20.0 | 18.0 | 20.8 | 17.7 |
| Azerbaijani gas | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Gas withdrawal from Russian and Latvian UGS facilities | 32.7 | 24.3 | 44.9 | 45.7 | 52.0 |
| Decrease in GTS reserves | 6.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.4 |
| Total | 627.5 | 602.6 | 622.6 | 672.1 | 693.1 |
| Distribution of gas via GTS | |||||
| Gas supplied domestically | 356.5 | 342.3 | 351.7 | 354.0 | 364.7 |
| including Central Asian gas |
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Gas supplied abroad | 196.2 | 196.8 | 209.4 | 232.4 | 234.8 |
| including Central Asian gas |
26.4 | 20.0 | 18.0 | 20.7 | 17.7 |
| Azerbaijani gas | 0.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Gas injection into Russian UGS facilities | 35.1 | 27.1 | 24.7 | 44.2 | 49.4 |
| Auxiliary gas for GTS and UGS facilities | 33.2 | 32.3 | 32.3 | 37.8 | 40.6 |
| Increase in GTS reserves | 6.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| Total | 627.5 | 602.6 | 622.6 | 672.1 | 693.1 |
Access for independent gas producers
Gazprom provides independent companies with nondiscriminatory access to its gas pipelines. In 2018, Gazprom’s GTS in Russia pumped gas for 25 independent companies. The volume of distributed gas amounted to 136.4 billion cubic meters.
Gas transmission system reliability
The reliability of Gazprom’s gas transmission system is secured by advanced inspection methods, as well as timely preventive maintenance and major repairs.
The Company schedules major repairs using a cutting-edge planning system based on monitoring the GTS’s technical condition and integrity. After the risk evaluation and integrated assessment are done, priority is given to the facilities the repair of which ensures better performance of the GTS. This approach allows the Company to boost the operational reliability of process facilities, reduce the workload and cut down the costs at the same time.
Gas transmission system development
Gas pipeline construction projects
Gazprom is building gas transmission facilities in order to improve the reliability of gas deliveries, boost gas supply and gas infrastructure expansion across Russian regions, and fulfill its export obligations. Between 2014 and 2018, the Company brought into operation more than 4,100 kilometers of gas trunklines in Russia.
