KazTransGas hardly lower gas tariffs: minister
It will be difficult to convince KazTransGas to lower gas tariffs, Georgian Energy Minister Kakha Kaladze said at a press-conference on July 18.
According to him, Georgia's embassy in Kazakhstan has not suspended its activity on lowering gas tariffs.
Kaladze informed that a Kazakh delegation will visit Georgia in the near future. Afterwards, the agreement reached on transferring KazTransGas-Tbilisi to Kazakhstan will be formalized.
"Relevant bodies work on restructuring of the debt which has accumulated in the company during that period," he added. "KazTransGas-Tbilisi is a distributive company and it has a big debt. So, it will be difficult to convince it to lower the tariffs."
According to him, the Georgian government has not suspended working to decrease the debt.
KaztransGas became the owner of the Tbilgazi gas distribution company's shares after winning the investment contest in May, 2006. The investor paid $12.5 million for the company.
The Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission appointed special manager to KaztransGas-Tbilisi in 2009. The reason was the company's 80 million lari ( 1 lari= $0.6) worth debt. Moreover, KaztransGas-Tbilisi ran into 68 million lari worth debt to the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation.
The parties are in negotiations to withdraw interim manager of KaztransGas-Tbilisi and to return its management to the Kazakh side.