ArmInfo. If Iranian gas is at least 10% cheaper than the Russian one, it will be beneficial for the Armenian side to purchase it, Chairman of the Board - Director General of Gazprom-Armenia CJSC Hrant Tadevosyan stated in the Armenian parliament on November 8 during the meeting of the commission for the investigation of the validity of gas and electricity tariffs.
He stressed that the calorific value of Iranian gas per 1 thousand cubic meters is 7900 kilocalories, whereas for Russian gas it is not lower than 8200. "This means that burning Russian gas produces much more heat, therefore, once the cost of Russian gas per 1 thousand cubic meters is $ 150, then Iranian gas under equal conditions should cost no more than $ 135 per 1 thousand cubic meters", Tadevosyan stressed, adding that this issue is the subject of negotiations at the government level.
To recall, according to the Armenian-Russian agreement, the basic caloric value for gas should be 7,900 kilocalories per thousand cubic meters. If the calorie content is higher, an additional factor should be added to the tariff. For Armenia, this rule does not work until the end of 2018.
Armenia receives gas from Iran through a barter scheme. For every cubic meter of "blue" fuel, the republic supplies three kilowatt hours of electricity to Iran. Currently, representatives of the Armenian government are conducting negotiations with Russian colleagues on gas tariffs in 2019. Gazprom Armenia CJSC is a 100% subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom, providing for the supply and sale of natural gas in the domestic market of Armenia. As part of the gas transmission system (GTS), 1,682.2 km of main gas pipelines and branch pipelines are serviced. As part of the gas distribution system, today there are 15,116 km of high, medium and low pressure gas pipelines and auxiliary facilities. Gazprom Armenia is one of the leading companies in Armenia, occupies a leading and stable position in the backbone sector of the Armenian economy.