Press Releases and Events
NOVATEK Partners with Republic of Tatarstan to Cooperate on Research and Development
Saint Petersburg, 4 June 2026. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Chairman of the Management Board of PAO NOVATEK (“NOVATEK” and/or the “Company”) Leonid Mikhelson and the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov signed a partnership agreement covering education, science, and a wide range of technology-related areas. The partners agreed to implement their joint initiatives on the premises of the Innopolis University, a key competence center for the petroleum industry specializing in information technology and robotics.
The cooperation will focus on improving the efficiency of production processes, for instance through the use of AI-powered technology as well as mathematical modelling and forecasting.
“Leveraging the best scholarly and academic resources Russia has to offer is of strategic importance to NOVATEK,” says Leonid Mikhelson, Chairman of NOVATEK's Management Board, “and the agreement with the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan will give our Company an opportunity to capitalize on the Innopolis University's technology development expertise ranging from digital twins to integrated industrial safety solutions. The joint studies, pilot projects, and skilled labor development efforts supported by this IT university are sure to bring synergies and scalability to the table when tackling the challenges facing the petroleum industry.”
PAO NOVATEK is one of the largest independent natural gas producers in Russia, and in 2017, entered the global LNG market by successfully launching the Yamal LNG project. Founded in 1994, the Company is engaged in the exploration, production, processing and marketing of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons. Upstream activities of the Company’s subsidiaries and joint ventures are concentrated mainly in the prolific Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, which is the world’s largest natural gas producing area and accounts for approximately 80% of Russia’s natural gas production and approximately 15% of the world’s gas production. NOVATEK is a public joint stock company established under the laws of the Russian Federation.