Russia Gazprom says 96 pct ready for Y2K
MOSCOW, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom
said on Wednesday its computerised operations were 96
percent ready to face possible millennium bug problems.
It said in a statement that the company would replace 5,500
computers out of 9,000 vulnerable to the year 2000 problem
and modify the remaining stock.
Gazprom, which is a major supplier of natural gas to the
West, currently uses around 28,000 computers.
Various international analysts have repeatedly expressed
worries that Y2K could disrupt Russian gas supplies to the
West. But Gazprom said it was paying special attention to
guaranteeing uninterrupted supplies.
"All transport and supply divisions have been recommended
to create alert teams to fight anomalous situations and to
guarantee immediate warning about them in the period
between December 31, 1999 and January 4, 2000," it said.
Gazprom discussed joint actions to combat the millennium
bug at a conference on Tuesday and Wednesday with its
partners and clients from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus,
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Moldova.
"We expect that as early as October all the parties
involved will elaborate a joint plan for mobilising reserve
capacities which will include a section on coordination of
efforts with adjacent gas transportation companies,"
Gazprom said.
REUTERS 1243 290999 GMT
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I wish this was a joke... |
