Gazprom to refer gas market reform proposal to govt in '04
10.06.2004, 14.37
MOSCOW, June 10 (Itar-Tass) - Before the end of this year, Gazprom intends to suggest that the government of Russia consider an item concerning a reform of the country's gas market, Alexander Ryazanov, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Board, told journalists here on Thursday. He said, "The current situation leads to serious imbalances and makes the company put pressure on independent producers".
Ryazanov pointed out, "A free market will enable us to regulate the production of fuel". He said the company currently has to work out a balance concerning this indicator in advance. In particular, this year's production is planned to amount to 542,000 million cubic metres of gas a year but, due to the past warm winter, a saving of about 7,000 million cubic metres of gas has been effected.
"In this situation we cannot change indicators and we have to edge independent producers out. Specifically, at the present moment it is not beneficial for us to buy fuel from them at open prices, since we may sell it only at regulated ones," Ryazanov pointed out.
The Gazprom deputy chief believes that "the government so far lacks a conceptual view of a gas industry reform". He said Gazprom had come forward with its proposals long ago, but the Cabinet of Ministers does not even consider them currently. "We come out in favour of the gas industry' s developing after the pattern of that of the electric power market, where up to 15 per cent of output is sold at market prices," Ryazanov said. |
