Kyrgyzstan,Gazprom discuss gas tariffs
By Vusala Abbasova
Kyrgyzstan is conducting talks with Russia’s Gazprom on prolonging existing tariffs on gas supplies to 2019.
This statement was made by the Director of the State Agency for Regulation of Fuel and Energy Complex of Kyrgyzstan, Nurbek Elebaev, according to the Review.uz website.
Considering the current unstable situation in gas prices around the world, it is hard to predict the changes in tariffs on gas, Elebaev said
The country intends to keep the existing tariffs or even to decrease them due to the recent fall in gas prices in the world market, the director added.
Elebaev also expressed the county's intent to develop the tariff policy for 3-4 years for the period of 2016-2019.
The discussion on the gas tariff policy between the sides is expected to finalize by December 1.
Kyrgyzstan’s cooperation with the world's biggest gas producer Gazprom has been under the long-term Agreement of Cooperation in the gas industry signed in May 2003 for a 25 year-period.
The agreement provides for the exploration, development and operation of hydrocarbon fields in the country, and the retrofitting, construction and operation of gas trunk lines, along with other gas infrastructure facilities and gas transmission and supply as part of the joint projects.
Kyrgyzstan's proven natural gas reserves are estimated at 6 billion cubic meters. Domestic gas production averages 30 million cubic meters per annum. Gas consumption makes up some 300 million cubic meters per annum, 90 per cent of which is imported from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
In 2007, Gazprom and the Kyrgyz Government signed an Agreement on common principles for the geological survey of subsurface resources. Under the document, Gazprom obtained two subsurface use licenses for the Kugart and Eastern Mailu-Suu IV blocks.
On April 10, 2014, Gazprom and Kyrgyzgaz signed a sales and purchase agreement for a 100 per cent stake of Gazprom Kyrgyzstan, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyrgyzgaz.
Gazprom PJSC accounts for 12 percent of the global gas output. The Company owns the world’s largest gas transmission network, the Unified Gas Supply System of Russia, with a total length of over 168,000 kilometers. Gazprom sells more than half of the overall produced gas to Russian consumers and exports gas to more than 30 countries within and beyond the former Soviet Union.
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