Gazprom on Thursday expressed concern over plans of Belarusian officials to scrap an extra charge that the country’s gas consumers pay to the Beltransgas gastransit system. If the charge is waived, Beltransgaz will lose up to$390 million and stop turning profit just after Gazprom has secured a50-percent stake in the pipeline operator. Belarus, in its turn, isanxious to ease the price burden for consumers after Russia has raisedgas prices for its neighbor.
Speaking to the State Duma on Thursday, Gazpromdeputy chief executive Valery Golubev said Belarus is set to lift anextra $18 per 1,000 cu. meters of gas that local consumers pay forservices of Beltransgaz. The Belarusian gas system risks losing between$360 and $390 million annually and ultimately becoming unprofitable,Valery Golubev underscored.The Russian gas monopolist is soon to pay $2.5 billion for 50 percentin Beltransgaz. Gazprom noted that the extra charge was calculated inlast year’s evaluation of the Belarusian gas system when the companywas said to be worth $5 billion. Gazprom now waits for the Belarusiangovernment to confirm that the charge will not be waived.
Independent experts point out that Belarus is trying to level off thenegative impact of higher gas prices at the expense of Gazprom.Belarusian industrial producers started paying $160 per 1,000 cu.meters of gas after Russia had raised the prices from $47 to $100. As aresult, inflation in industrial and technical sector reached astaggering 17 percent in January alone.
A Kommersant sourceclose to the Belarusian government reports that the extra charge ismost likely to be preserved, though a number of key consumers willprobably keep enjoying privileged tariffs.
Belarusian and Russian authorities are to finalize the purchase of Beltransgas in Minsk on Friday, the RIA Novosti news agency reports. The issue of the extra change may also be settled during the talks.
