Armenian deputy minister: Talks with Gazprom Armenia and Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission on gas tariffs still underway

ArmInfo. The talks with Gazprom Armenia and the Armenian Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) on gas tariffs for domestic consumers are still underway, Armenian Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Areg Galstyan told reporters on April 13.     

However, the deputy minister failed to say anything about the process of the negotiations because he is not personally involved in the talks. Galstyan said that in the near future the Armenian market will gradually open, first of all, for the large consumers that use high voltage electric power. In this case, he said, the large consumers will be able to acquire electricity in any place, including through the Iran-Armenia-Georgia- Russia electric power corridor, which is under construction. Some time later, the consumers of medium and low voltage electric power will also be able to make use of the same services. But this will happen following the liberalization of the network.

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.