Gazprom and the Komi Republic authorities (Russia) approved the Program for the Development of Gas Supply and Gasification of the Republic of Komi. Gazprom will spend up to Rub7.8bn (US$133m) for the construction of distribution stations, branch gas pipelines and inter-settlement gas pipelines with a length of 587 km, which will provide conditions for the gasification of 26 villages in the Komi region.
By the end of 2017, Gazprom plans to complete the construction of three distribution gas pipelines in the region and start the construction of another four - including the Vorkuta central hot-water boiler plant (CEC). In addition, Gazprom will complete the design of six gas pipelines, and will also design 16 new gasification facilities, including gas pipelines designed to feed the Vorkuta thermal power station (which will switch to gas).
The Komi Republic gasification process is constantly developing and Gazprom spent about Rub6.2bn (US$105m) over the 2007-2016 period for this purpose. 10 gas pipelines with a total length of 185 km were constructed. As of January 2017, the gasification level of the republic amounted to 45.2% while the Russian average stood at 67.2%.