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Speaking via video linkup, General Director of SIBUR Dmitry Konov and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller informed the President that all is ready to start construction at the Amur gas processing plant. Mr Putin then gave the order to begin the construction work.

Mr Konov and Mr Miller briefed the President on preparations for the start of construction work at the site.

The Amur gas processing plant is currently the only plant of its kind in Eastern Siberia and the Far East. The construction work will make the facility the biggest in Russia and one of the biggest gas processing plants in the world. The project will make it possible to extract various types of valuable petrochemical raw materials from natural gas and export purified methane to China.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Miller, colleagues, good afternoon,

Mr Miller, tell us about your promising new project. I am listening.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller: Mr President, the Amur gas processing plant is one of the key facilities in the Power of Siberia project. The plant will process 49 billion cubic metres of gas. It will supply purified methane for gas supply and connecting Eastern Siberia and the Far East to the gas network, and for export to China. The valuable petrochemical components extracted at the plant will provide raw materials for another big industrial facility, Amur gas and chemical plant, which SIBUR is constructing.

Mr President, we want to show you this short video about what the plant will look like in five years’ time.

Plays the video.

Vladimir Putin: Mr Konov, have you anything to add?

General Director of SIBUR Dmitry Konov: Good afternoon, Mr President,

I want to add that it is a great honour for us to be Gazprom’s partner in this project. NIPIGAZ, which is part of SIBUR, is largely responsible for the project’s design and management, and in this respect, we count very much on Russia’s design institutes, subcontractor companies, and, of course, our country’s builders.

Usually at this stage of construction, when we drive the first piles, people ask what is actually happening in the project. What is happening in this project is that 8 cities in Russia and abroad are carrying out design work, orders have been placed for equipment, first of all with producers here in Russia, and we are preparing for large-scale work here by 2016–2017, at the site near the town of Svobodny.

Speaking as a representative of SIBUR, a gas processing company, I am pleased and proud that everything that can be extracted from natural gas before it is supplied as an energy source is extracted, supplied and used as a base for developing production in Russia.

In this respect, the gas and chemical plant that we plan to build, and that will use the methane extracted from gas, could play a big and promising part in developing the petrochemicals sector in the Far East and Amur Region, and could give a future boost to developing other sectors as well.

Vladimir Putin: I congratulate you on this start.

I want to wish success to Gazprom and SIBUR and to all of the engineers and workers who will take part in this project.

Mr Miller, I have a request to make of you and Gazprom – to work with Roscosmos and the Russian Federation Government on two matters.

First, study the possibilities for organising gas supply for Vostochny [Space Launch Centre]. Second, look at the possibilities with them of building an airport to serve the joint needs of Gazprom, SIBUR and Roscosmos, as well as Vostochny. I think this synergy could produce good results.

Alexei Miller: We will do this, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Report to me then soon with your proposals.

Once again, I congratulate you on the start of this work. SIBUR is developing quite rapidly as a company. Now, the company will have another large facility, this time in the Far East, and it will be connected with Gazprom’s efforts, including the work to develop export routes and supply Russian industry with these important products.

I wish you success.

Dmitry Konov: Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: All the best!