Lukashenko addresses mothballed Gazprom Centre project in Minsk

<p> MINSK, May 20 - PrimePress. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko raised the problem of the unending construction of the Gazprom Centre in Minsk during the May 20 conference meeting on socio-economic and socio-political development of Minsk, the press service of the president reported. </p> <p>   </p> <p> As previously reported, Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, a subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom, announced in May 2021 that they were looking for a contractor to prepare legal documents for the conservation of the Gazprom Centre construction site in Minsk. The launch of the Gazprom Centre, a landmark project by Russia’s Gazprom in Minsk, was moved fr om 2018 to Dec 2020. To build the Gazprom Centre, the municipal authorities demolished one of the landmarks of the Belarusian capital - the Moskovsky bus terminal, which resembled a UFO hanging on strings attached to a pillar in middle. Gazprom Transgaz Belarus and Belarus’ government signed an investment agreement in May 2013 to build the multifunctional complex Gazprom Centre with an investment value of $500 million. The construction started in 2015, but was put on hold in 2016 due to defects in foundation materials. In Feb 2018 Gazprom Transgaz Belarus announced it had chosen Italy’s Codest to act as the general contractor for the Gazprom Centre in Minsk. The investor was exempted from lease payments for the land plot, and the value added tax on equipment, materials and services procured for the project. The design of Gazprom Centre’s 189-metre glass tower was produced by the British office of NBBJ architecture, planning and design firm. </p> <p>   </p> <p> "I would like to finally hear from the mayor how long we are going to tolerate this Gazprom’s fence in the centre of Minsk? They asked to give them a piece of land to build a beautiful building. Wh ere is this building?" said Lukashenko. </p> <p>   </p> <p> He instructed to accelerate the work on other long-term construction projects in Minsk. He mentioned effective land management, efficiency of housing and utilities. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Gazprom Transgaz Belarus is fully owned by Russia’s Gazprom. </p> <p>   </p> <p> OAO Beltransgaz officially changed its name for Gazprom Transgaz Belarus on April 18, 2013. Russia’s Gazprom owns a 100% stake in Gazprom Transgaz Belarus. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Trunk gas pipelines running across Belarus pump Russian natural gas to the country’s westernmost region of Kaliningrad and further to Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland. </p> <p>   </p> <p> The Belarusian gas transport system operated by Gazprom Transgaz Belarus comprises over 7,900 km of gas pipelines, 13 compressor stations, 3 underground gas storage facilities, 226 gas distribution stations, 28 automobile gas-filling compressor stations and 7 gas metering stations. </p> <p>   </p> <p> Gazprom Transgaz Belarus also operates a 575-km Belarusian segment of Gazprom’s Yamal-Europe gas main with 5 compressor stations. Gazprom Transgaz Belarus is headquartered in Minsk. End </p>

2021-05-21

Primepress