Belarus, Russia sign gas transit contract for 2015-2017

Belarus and Russia have signed a gas transit contract for 2015-2017, BelTA learnt from OAO Gazprom Transgaz Belarus.

It was earlier informed that the two countries signed a contract on Russian gas supply to Belarus. “The details of the contract have not been disclosed yet,” the Gazprom Transgaz Belarus said.

Earlier BelTA quoted First Vice Prime Minister of Belarus Vladimir Semashko as saying that the document they were about to sign did not differ much from the existing one which expires on 31 December 2014. “We will use the same pricing formula. The gas price will be lower as from 1 January due to the Russian ruble decline. Currently, Belarus pays $168 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. We may have some $154-155 next year,” the First Vice Premier said.

Speaking about the volume of deliveries, the First Vice Premier noted that the amount Belarus will get will be enough to meet the needs of all categories of consumers in the country. “It is about 22 billion cubic meters per year. Sometimes we do not use the volume in full. The contract envisages plus/minus fluctuations (plus 5%, minus 10%),” Vladimir Semashko said.

In April 2013 OAO Beltransgaz was officially renamed into the public joint-stock company Gazprom Transgaz Belarus, with Russian OAO Gazprom owning all the shares. The gas transportation system of the company in Belarus comprises 7,870km of trunk pipelines and gas pipeline branches. The trunk pipelines, which are located in Belarus, are used to deliver Russian natural gas to Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast, to Lithuania, Ukraine, and Poland.