Wednesday, January 19 2022 18:12

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.