Company History

2011

1 July 2011: Vyacheslav Krupenkov is appointed Senior Managing Director of GAZPROM Germania GmbH by shareholder resolution.

 

15 June 2011: ZMB Schweiz AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of GAZPROM Germania GmbH, is renamed GAZPROM Schweiz AG after its group parent, GAZPROM OJSC.

 

2 June 2011: The first Western Blue Corridor is ceremoniously opened by Alexej Miller (CEO of GAZPROM OJSC) and Klaus Schäfer (CEO of E.ON Ruhrgas AG) during the European Business Congress annual meeting in Prague. On GAZPROM’s initiative, a convoy comprising 15 natural gas-powered vehicles travelled from Prague via Leipzig, Wolfsburg, and Berlin to the landing site of the Nord Stream pipeline. The convoy also stopped at GAZPROM Germania’s new natural gas filling station in Berlin.

 

19 and 20 May 2011: The second stage of the Haidach underground storage facility is officially opened in Salzburg. The official opening is attended by Gazprom export and shareholders RAG, WINGAS, GAZPROM Germania, and Centrex. GAZPROM Germania GmbH holds a 22.22% shareholding in this storage facility.

 

19 May 2011: The final investment decision on the USF Katharina storage project in Saxony-Anhalt is made and the second annex to the consortium agreement signed. GAZPROM Germania and VNG-Verbundnetz AG each hold 50% of Erdgasspeicher Peissen GmbH, the company constructing the Katharina underground storage facility. The storage facility is to have a usable gas capacity of around 585 Mm³.

 

12 January 2011: GAZPROM Germania opens its second natural gas filling station in Berlin in cooperation with the French oil company TOTAL. Within just a few weeks, the new filling station pumps around 12,000 kg of natural gas.

 

2010

 

Q1 2010: Additional instalments of the promissory note transaction mandated to Landesbank Baden-Württemberg in May 2008 are paid. The total volume is raised to EUR 160 million. The more than 20 individual investors in Germany and Austria provide finance over terms of 3 to 5 years at both fixed and variable interest rates.

 

July 2010: GAZPROM Germania GmbH records the second-highest annual profit in its almost 20-year history for the 2009 financial year: EUR 496.5 million (previous year: 537.2 million).

 

1 July 2010: Vladimir Kotenev is appointed Senior Managing Director of GAZPROM Germania GmbH and manages the company in this role until 31 May 2011. Between 2004 and 2010, Mr Kotenev had been Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Federal Republic of Germany.

 

25 March 2010: GAZPROM’s Experience Energy attraction is ceremoniously opened at Europa-Park Rust, Germany’s largest amusement park. The attraction comprises a multimedia exhibition on the subject of natural gas.

 

31 March 2010: GAZPROM Germania GmbH increases its shareholding in Germany’s third-largest natural gas importer, VNG Verbundnetz Gas AG, from 5.26% to 10.52%.

 

10 February 2010: GAZPROM Germania GmbH takes a 44% shareholding in the newly-established Podzemno skladiste gasa Banatski Dvor d.o.o., Novi Sad, Serbia, a company founded with the aim of establishing and operating an underground gas storage facility.

 

2009:

On 13 August 2009, the commercial register was modified to reflect the upstream merger of ZMB GmbH, formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of GAZPROM Germania GmbH, into its parent company. The merger was conducted with retroactive effect from 1 January 2009.

 

On 1 May 2009, Andrey Biryulin was appointed further Managing Director of both GAZPROM Germania GmbH.

 

In May 2009, the third unit for processing associated gas produced at the Kokdumalak in Uzbekistan Oilfield commenced operation.

 

On 19 May 2009, Gazprom export LLC and VNG-Verbundnetz Gas AG established the Erdgasspeicher Peissen GmbH joint venture for the purpose of constructing and operating an underground natural gas storage facility.

 

On 24 March 2009, GAZPROM Germania GmbH acquired a 50 % shareholding in A2A Beta S.p.A. (Milan) from A2A Alfa S.r.l. (70 % of the company’s shares held by A2A Group and 30 % by Iride Group).

 

With effect from 22 January 2009, GAZPROM Germania GmbH increased its shareholding in the Prague-based Czech gas trading company Vemex s.r.o. from 40 % to 50.14 %.

 

On 1 January 2009, the Turkish gas supplier Bosphorus Gaz Corporation A. S., Istanbul, in which GAZPROM Germania GmbH has a 51 % shareholding, commenced gas trading in Turkey and has effected its first gas deliveries.

2008:

GAZPROM Germania GmbH co-founds and acquires a 50 percent shareholding in South Stream AG (Switzerland) and a 49.98 percent shareholding in WINGAS.

 

Acquisition of a 50 percent shareholding in FRAGAZ SA (Paris) and a 25 percent shareholding in CEA Centrex Energy & Gas AG (Austria)

 

Exploratory drilling commences at the Hinrichshagen geological structure, which is to be transformed into an underground gas storage facility.

 

Gas Project Development Central Asia AG acquires an additional 10 percent shareholding in Gissarneftgaz LLC. The GAZPROM Germania group’s shareholding in this company now totals 20 percent.

 

GAZPROM Germania GmbH invests over EUR 700 million in strengthening its market position as a gas trading group in the markets of Western and Eastern Europe as well as Central Asia, thus contributing to European supply security. 

2007

On 1 January 2007, GAZPROM Germania becomes the main sponsor of the German premier league (Bundesliga) football club FC Schalke 04 under a five-year sponsorship deal.

 

As one of the partners in the Etzel natural gas storage project, ZMB GmbH secures access to both working gas capacities in the amount of 160 Mm³ and transportation capacities in the amount of 300,000 m³/h.

 

Acquisition of a 20 percent shareholding in license block 44/24b of the Wingate structure (British North Sea).

 

The Haidach (Austria) underground gas storage facility commences operation following completion of the first construction stage (storage capacity: 1.2 Gm³).

The Hinrichshagen geological structure is explored for its suitability as an underground gas storage facility.

 

Acquisition of the remaining shares in Natural Gas Shipping Services by ZMB’s subsidiary Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd.

 

Through its joint venture Gas Project Development Central Asia AG (G.P.D.), GAZPROM Germania GmbH secures access to 50 percent of the natural gas reserves owned by the Uzbek natural gas producer Gissarneftgaz LLC, continuing the consolidation of its position in Central Asia. 

2006

Participation of the Czech company  Vemex s.r.o.  and first gas supplies to the Czech companies.

Purchase of 19% of the shares of OAO „NOVATEK“,  the second largest Russian natural gas producer.  

Licence received for trading Russian natural gas in Turkey.

Intensified activities of the ZMB GmbH in the perspective securing of natural gas storage capacities in Germany. Participation in the Etzel-Kavernenbetriebsgesellschaft, purchase of the mining facility in Hinrichshagen to establish whether it can be used as a natural gas storage facility, preparatory work at the structure of Schweinrich.  

Completion of the capacity extension of the natural gas pipeline STEGAL by 50%.

Renaming of ZGG GmbH into GAZPROM Germania GmbH.

The companies of the GAZPROM Germania group are active in more than 20  European and Asian countries in the natural gas business.   

2005

ZMB’s subsidiary WINGAS Storage UK Ltd.  applies for the licence for re-use of the Saltfleetby gas field as a natural gas storage facility in the UK.

Participation of ZMB GmbH in the underground natural gas storage facility in Haidach/Austria.  

One focus of trading activities in this year was also on trading natural gas from Central Asia and Russia.  

2004

Acquisition of a 40% share of BosphorusGaz A.S., Istanbul, Turkey by the ZMB GmbH.

Conclusion of a PSA between the Uzbek National Holding „Usbekneftegaz“ and a consortium of the Russian ZAO „Zarubezhneftegaz“ and the Swiss GPD Gas Project Development Central Asia AG, in which ZMB has a 50% share, to produce Uzbek natural gas.  

2003

Sales of ZMB subsidiary Gazprom Marketing & Trading surpass the 1 bn cubic meters mark.

Business activity of  ZMB (Schweiz) AG begins. The core market  for receiving natural gas is Central Asia.

2002

Sales of the ZGG Group (now GAZPROM Germania Group) surpass the 10 bn cubic meters mark.

First-time sourcing of natural gas from Central Asia by the companies of the ZGG Group and trading in Western and Eastern Europe.  

The length of WINGAS pipeline network surpasses the 2000 km mark.           

2001

Meeting with a delegation of the Norwegian Committee for Energy, Environment and Nature Conservation in the office building of Zarubezhgaz-Erdgashandel-Gesellschaft mbH.  

Sales of the subsidiary ZMB GmbH surpass the 1 bn cubic meters mark. 

2000

10 years of Russian-German partnership in the natural gas sector between GAZPROM/Gazexport and BASF/Wintershall.

More than 13% of the German natural gas market are under contract with WINGAS in the long term. 

1999

Foundation of GAZPROM UK Trading Ltd., London (now Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd., Kingston), a wholly-owned subsidiary of ZMB GmbH for trading Russian natural gas on the British market.

Completion of the fourth stage of construction of the underground natural gas storage facility Rehden with a working volume of 4,2 bn m3. Rehden is Western Europe’s largest natural gas storage facility.

Commissioning of the 338 km long gas pipeline JAGAL (JAMAL Gas Connection Pipeline).

1998

Completion of WEDAL.  As a consequence the natural gas supply in this area could be increased and a connection of the WINGAS network to the INTERCONNECTOR Zeebrugge-Bacton became possible.  

1997

The natural gas pipeline WEDAL (West Germany Connection Pipeline) is included in the EU’s priority list of the supported trans-European networks (TEN).

1996

Commissioning of the pipeline JAMAL-Europa leading via the territories of Russia, Belarus and Poland.   Thus a new transport corridor was created to supply  Western Europe with natural gas.

1995

Opening of the office building of the ZGG in 10117 Berlin, Markgrafenstraße 23.  

1994

WINGAS on the market – official commissioning of the pipeline network MIDAL/STEGAL/RHG/Rehden of the WINGAS GmbH.

1993

Foundation of the Zarubezhgaz Management und Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (now ZMB GmbH) as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zarubezhgaz-Erdgashandel-Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin.

Commissioning of the natural gas storage facility Rehden with 1,5 bn. m3 of working gas.

Completion of the natural gas pipelines STEGAL (313 km) und MIDAL (619 km).

Establishing of the WINGAS GmbH in its current legal form from the forerunner societies.

1992

Commencement of deliveries by STEGAL transmission pipeline. First gas deliveries to the customers in Saxony and Thuringia.

1991

Beginning of the construction of STEGAL (Saxony-Thuringia Natural Gas Pipeline) and MIDAL (Central Germany Connection Pipeline) and development of the natural gas storage facility Rehden.

1990

Signing of the agreement on cooperation in the field of gas industry between V/O Zarubezhgaz Moscow ,a company of the state-owned gas group OAO “GAZPROM” Moscow, and Wintershall Aktiengesellschaft, Kassel.

Foundation of the Zarubezhgaz-Erdgashandel-Gesellschaft mbH in Berlin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the V/O Zarubezhgaz, now „Gazprom export“.

Foundation in cooperation with the Wintershall AG of the associated companies Wintershall Erdgas Handelshaus GmbH  and of the forerunner companies of WINGAS GmbH.