Belarusian authorities want to raise tariffs for Russian gas pumping

• 2.11.2010, 13:06

The First Deputy Premier of Belarus Uladzimir Syamashka informed about it today at the sitting of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers.

“This year the tariff for gas transit is $1,88, next year it is $2 according to the agreement, and it means plus 6%, and further we will argue again”, - the First Vice Premier said. He also marked, that Ukraine takes $2,5 for gas transit. To his view, this number should be taken into consideration by Belarusian experts, BelTA transmits.

Uladzimir Syamashka remarked that the volume of natural gas transit through Belarus will preserve at the level approximately 44 bln.cubic meters for the nearest years. “There will be no increase of physical volume, but tariffs will grow”, - he said.

The First Vice Premier also added that, probably, volumes of Russian oil transit will decrease in the nearest future in Belarus. “On January, 1 the pipeline BPS-2 will be launched, oil transit will fall, but then it will stabilize”, - he noted.

At the same time Uladzimir Syamashka noted, that the main problem for Belarus today – is negative balance, each hundred of million dollars is important for the country.

He reminded, that in January of this year Belarus signed documents on deliveries of Russian oil, transit. “However, tariffs are being reconsidered in connection with the dollar rate, our tariff today is in Russian Rubles, but it became cheaper and will further become cheaper”, - he informed.

Addressing to the members of the Presidium the First Vice Premier underlined, that all these new facts were not taken into consideration by the developers of the state program project of the development of transit potential for the years 2011-2015, which is being examined at the sitting of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers. In the viewpoint of Uladzimir Syamashka, the document can not be adopted in this state, it requires improvement.