The court resumed gas supply to two large microdistricts of Omsk

In Omsk, a scandal is breaking out around the main supplier of natural gas in the region, JSC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk. Due to debts of boiler house owners exceeding 110 million rubles, residents of two large microdistricts were left without hot water supply for a week. The prosecutor's office intervened in the case and, through the court, ordered the gas distribution company to resume gas supplies. Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk intends to challenge the court's decision, warning that debts may disrupt the start of the heating season.

Photo: Vadim Kharlamov/Kommersant, Kommersant

Last Friday, the Soviet District Court of Omsk satisfied the demands of the prosecutor's office of the Central and Kirov districts and took interim measures against CJSC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk, which is part of the structure of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz LLC (100 percent subsidiary of OJSC Gazprom). The court declared illegal the main supplier's termination of gas supply to the boiler houses of Malaya Generation LLC and Heat Generating Complex LLC (TGKom). The court ordered the company to immediately “resume gas supply pending consideration of the case on the merits” and imposed a ban on any actions to stop its supply, the Omsk prosecutor’s office explained to Kommersant yesterday.

According to the prosecutor's inspection, on August 18, after completing scheduled maintenance work on gas distribution networks, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk refused to resume gas supplies to TGKom and Malaya Generation due to the organizations' debt of over 110 million rubles. As a result, resource supply companies were unable to launch boiler houses and residents of two large Omsk microdistricts were left without hot water supply. According to CJSC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk, the company's share accounts for 86% of the regional natural gas market. Until May 2012, the company was headed by the current governor of the Omsk region, Viktor Nazarov.

The Omsk prosecutor's office told Kommersant yesterday that the inspection, "during which the reasons for the current situation and the degree of responsibility of resource supply organizations will be established," is ongoing. “According to the position of the prosecutor’s office, in this situation it is unacceptable to violate the rights of bona fide consumers of utility services,” explained assistant city prosecutor Pavel Umrikhin. The prosecutor's office did not specify a deadline for completing the inspection due to the “serious volume of verification activities.” According to the prosecutor's office, gas supply to the Amursky microdistrict was resumed the day before, a writ of execution was issued for the Kristall microdistrict, and gas supply should be resumed in the near future.

Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk said yesterday that they intend to challenge the court's decision to force the resumption of gas supplies to neighborhoods. “If each of the debtor companies resolves issues through a supervisory authority, we may approach the start of the heating season with huge debts, and it will be delayed indefinitely. We believe that our clients should actively work with their consumers so that they pay for services on time, and if they do not receive gas, they should switch to reserve fuels,” the adviser to the general director of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk CJSC told Kommersant. public relations Ekaterina Schwab. According to Ms. Schwab, overdue receivables from TGKom (over 100 million rubles) and Small Generation (about 9.5 million rubles) arose at the end of the current year; payments stopped in January. Suppliers say they stopped supplying gas to “draw attention to the problem,” which has already become a tradition for the gas supply company ahead of the heating season.

Resource supply companies greeted the court's decision with relief. “The problem has already been resolved,” TGKom said yesterday, refusing to provide details. Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk explained that the company has drawn up a new schedule for debt restructuring and repayment.

According to the executive director of Malaya Generation LLC, Vadim Ramzaev, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk, by not renewing the gas supply, violated the terms of the agreement concluded with the company. “We were not properly notified before the gas was cut off. Our debt to Gazprom Mezhregiongaz is mainly the funds that residents owe us for the first half of the year,” said Mr. Ramzaev. At the time of comment, gas supply to the Kristall microdistrict, according to the company, had not been resumed.

Yulia Strelskaya

The prosecutor's office won the filing