Gazprom and ENGIE to participate in renovation of Lyons Hall of Catherine Palace
RELEASE
Release
Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Gerard Mestrallet, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of ENGIE, Chairman of the ENGIE Corporate Foundation, and Olga Taratynova, Director of the Tsarskoe Selo State Art and Architecture Palace and Park Museum Preserve, today signed at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2018 an Agreement to take part in the renovation of the Lyons Hall of the Catherine Palace.
In the 18th century, the Lyons Hall was among the Catherine Palace’s ceremonial quarters. Its name refers to silk wallpaper made in Lyons. The unique interior decor was destroyed in the Great Patriotic War. In 2005, first steps were made to restore it.
The Agreement between Gazprom, the ENGIE Foundation, and the Tsarskoe Selo Museum Preserve marks the beginning of a new stage of restoration. The document provides for the recreation of an ornate plafond, lapis lazuli mosaic panels, and textile decorations. It is planned to complete the renovation in 2019.
Background
The Tsarskoe Selo Museum Preserve (Pushkin, St. Petersburg) is a magnificent monument of world architecture and landscape design of the 18th to early 20th centuries. The Great Palace of Tsarskoe Selo (the Catherine Palace), the centerpiece of the palace and garden complex, is an example of the Russian Baroque style.
France's ENGIE SA (prior to 2015 – GDF SUEZ) is focused on natural gas exploration, production, processing and marketing, as well as power generation. ENGIE owns the largest gas transmission network in Europe and is the second-biggest UGS facility operator in Europe in terms of capacities.
Gazprom and ENGIE cooperate in gas supplies and transmission, sci-tech development, and personnel training. The companies also pursue joint cultural projects.