|
Itera, a Russian gas company, is ready to resume natural gas supplies to Belarus at $46.68 per 1,000 cubic meters, Itera officials told RBC. In March, the company will supply 520m cubic meters of natural gas to Belarus, out of 7.5bn cubic meters of gas envisaged in Itera’s contract with Belarus’ Beltransgas for 2004.
Another Russian company, Transnafta, is currently supplying gas to Belarus. In early March, it signed a short term agreement with Beltransgaz to deliver 204m cubic meters of gas to the Republic of Belarus at the old price of $46.68 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Itera stopped its gas deliveries to the republic on February 12, 2004. Gazprom, Russia’s gas giant, stopped its supplies even earlier – on January 1, 2004. Gazprom officials expressed doubt that Belarus would manage to sign a long term contract with any gas company.
“Belarus can regularly extend contracts with independent gas producers. But, according to our information, neither Trans Nafta nor Itera has sufficient gas resources to satisfy the needs of the republic,” said Alexander Ryazanov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom.
|
RUSSIA IN FACTS
