At the moment Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission has no legal grounds to revise gas tariff

ArmInfo. As of April 13, the Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) has no legal grounds to revise the gas tariff, the PSRC has told ArmInfo.  

PSRC Spokesperson Mariam Stepanyan says that at the moment the PSRC has received no application from the operator supplying gas throughout Armenia to revise the tariff. She also says that if the gas price is reduced on the border, the Commission can initiate revision of the current tariff in case of tangible AMD/USD exchange rate fluctuations, as well as in case of changes in other important factors. "However, the PSRC has received no ratified document saying that the gas price on the border has been changed, which would enable the regulator to launch a legal procedure to revise the tariff," Mariam Stepanyan says. 

To note, under the Armenian Law "On Energy", the tariff can be revised on the initiative of both the licensed entity and the Commission. The Commission revises the tariff (reaffirms or changes it) and issues a decree within 90 days after receiving the licensed entity's application for revision.   

To recall, on April 7, during Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Armenia, an agreement was reached to reduce the Russian gas price in Armenia to $150 per 1,000 cu m. Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan told reporters that the two countries' governments have already signed the relevant document. At the same time, he failed to answer the question whether the gas price will be reduced for the Armenian consumers as well. "That issue is to be additionally discussed," he said. To note, the Russian gas price for Armenia is currently $165 USD per 1,000 cu m.  However, the consumers pay $318 at the current exchange rate, and the large consumers - subscribers purchasing over 10,000 cu m monthly - pay $277 per 1,000 cu m.