Translated material
Tariff pipeline
Wholesale prices for gas and fees for its transportation have been increased
The Federal Tariff Service approved regulated prices for Gazprom gas for 2008 - they increased by a quarter, as well as payment rates for transportation through Gazprom's main pipelines for independent producers - by 19%. In addition, the FTS confirmed Gazprom's right to sell gas in excess of the limit volumes, as well as to new consumers (who did not receive gas in 2007) with a coefficient of 1.5 to the level of regulated prices.On average, industrial enterprises will buy every thousand cubic meters of limited gas from Gazprom for 1,690 rubles. In Moscow, they will actually pay 100 rubles. more, and, for example, for consumers in the Arkhangelsk region, only connected to the Nyuksinitsa-Arkhangelsk gas pipeline under construction, gas will cost more than $100 (2,596 rubles). The cheapest gas will cost in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - 973 rubles.
The gas price growth schedule until 2011 (including 25 percent indexation for the next year) was adopted by the government a year ago. However, a similar decision on transportation tariffs for independent producers was not made by the White House. The share of these supplies in the gas balance of the domestic market, not counting technological needs, is not so large: according to Vremya Novostey’s source in Mezhregiongaz, 62-63 billion cubic meters out of approximately 380 billion cubic meters. However, in 2008, generating companies will have to buy more than 50 billion cubic meters (about 30%) from independent ones. And additional transportation costs will ultimately be passed on to end consumers in one way or another.
Next year, transporting 1 thousand cubic meters of gas per 100 km will cost independents 36.13 rubles. “The main factor in the change in the level of tariffs is the increase in capital investments of OJSC Gazprom in the main gas pipeline transport system in accordance with the Comprehensive Program for the reconstruction and technical re-equipment of gas transport facilities and compressor stations of underground gas storage facilities for 2007-2010,” it says in FST message. An official from the tariff department explained to Vremya Novostey that the level of indexation was calculated based on the increase in transportation costs, as well as Gazprom’s investments in expanding the gas transmission system for the needs of independent producers. “The company’s plans included increasing the tariff next year,” a NOVATEK representative told Vremya Novostey. “It should also be noted that the tariff includes an investment component, which allows Gazprom to develop the Unified Gas Supply System, increasing its throughput capacity, which is of interest to all gas producing companies.”
However, on condition of anonymity, representatives of independent manufacturers expressed doubts about the reliability of the FTS calculations. “The mechanism for submitting data and attributing transportation costs to real ones is absolutely opaque,” complains one of them. The cost data provided by Gazprom is classified without any reason, says another. This was confirmed by an FTS official, refusing to disclose the size of the monopoly’s investment in the development of the system for the needs of independent ones. In addition, as is known, Gazprom initially justified the tariff increase by 40%, but pointedly agreed to 20%. The main problem, according to our interlocutors, is that the price of the service is growing (and this is also justified by investments in the expansion of the gas transportation system), and its “quality” - access to the pipe - not only does not improve, but becomes even more problematic .
In addition, it is not clear what the long-term trend in transportation tariffs will be. An FTS official says there are no plans to approve rates for several years in advance. Only the idea of specifying the approximate rates of indexation in the forecast of socio-economic development is being discussed. But no concrete actions have been taken in this direction yet.