Econ ministry offers adjusting gas transport tariffs each 5 years

MOSCOW, Jan 30 (PRIME) -- Russia’s Economic Development Ministry has suggested the government adjust transportation tariffs for natural gas of independent gas producers through pipes of gas giant Gazprom only once in five years, as seen by PRIME in materials of the Federal Antimonopoly Service on Monday.

The service supports the suggestion, but it cannot be implemented now as it needs additional “organizational measures”, a representative of the service told PRIME.

Early in 2016, Gazprom asked the service to raise the tariff by 2% from July 1, 2016, while independent gas producers asked the service to cut the tariff. The authority decided there were no grounds for a tariff increase and later approved keeping the tariff flat in 2016.

The authority’s Director Igor Artemyev has said that the service assumed there will be no 2% growth until July 2017. The macroeconomic forecast of the ministry encompasses a 3% increase of the tariff on July 1, 2017.

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