ArmInfo.Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan on January 19, during a government hour in parliament, assured that the price of gas would not change for the socially disadvantaged groups.
Earlier, AmrInfo reported that Gazprom Armenia applied to the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of the Republic of Armenia with a request to revise gas tariffs. The regulator has 80 days to consider the application, and if approved, the new tariff will come into force on April 1, 2022. According to the document published on the Azdarar.am website, in accordance with the additional agreement signed between Gazprom Armenia CJSC and Gazprom Export LLC on natural gas supplies to the Republic of Armenia dated October 29, 2021 for 2014-2021, from April 1, 2022, the actual price of natural gas supplied to the Republic of Armenia from the Russian Federation is set at $165 per thousand cubic meters with a net calorific value of 7900 kcal/cu.m and $177.53 per thousand cubic meters with a net calorific value of 8500 kcal/cu.m. However, if the actual monthly net calorific value of natural gas is higher or lower than 8500 kcal/cu.m., the price will change accordingly, in direct proportion to this change.
In particular, Gazprom Armenia offers both a single price for all consumer groups and a formula for calculating tariffs depending on the monthly adjustment of the actual calorific value of gas. The proposed single weighted average tariff will be $282.6 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for 8,500 kilocalories (the current weighted average tariff is $266.71). In dram equivalent, this will amount to 135 thousand 649 drams. That is, Gazprom Armenia proposes to increase the weighted average price by $15.89 (including VAT) per 1,000 cubic meters of gas by 8,500 kilocalories. If the energy value is below 8500 kilocalories per cubic meter, the price of gas will decrease proportionally, if it is higher, it will increase. Meanwhile, earlier head of PSRC Garegin Baghramyan reported that in 2021 the energy value was 8,300 kcal/cu.m. and more (up to 8,500 in some months).
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, who negotiated the gas price with Russian Gazprom, "it is not dogmatic that this application will be approved or accepted in the form in which it was submitted." "I am more inclined to believe that the gas tariff for the socially disadvantaged groups will not change," Grigoryan said. There is such a possibility, because even taking into account the application of the caloric content mechanism, this will not affect a significant part of consumers, he noted.
To the clarifying question of MP Tadevos Avetisyan, whether it can be considered a promise that the price for the socially disadvantaged groups will not increase, Grigoryan replied: "Yes, you can consider this a promise." The Deputy Prime Minister noted that it is necessary to take into account the fact that the price of gas is growing all over the world and is growing at times.
It should be noted that from January 1, 2022, the water tariff has increased, and from February 1, the price of electricity will also rise. In both cases, the country's authorities promised that the tariff would not change for the socially disadvantaged groups.
