"ARMENIA MAY BECOME A GOOD MARKET OF ENERGY IN THE REGION"
By Ara Martirosian, translated by L.H.
AZG Armenian Daily #167
14/09/2007
Announced ArmRosgasprom Director General
On September 12 took place ArmRosgasprom Board of Directors meeting
dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of ArmRosgasprom. President Robert
Kocharian, Minister of Energy Armen Movsissian, also representatives
of the main shareholder Russian "Gasprom" were present at the meeting.
After the meeting Gazprom’s Management Committee Deputy Chairman
Valery Golubev and ArmRosgasprom Director General Karen Karapetian
met the journalists.
Valery Golubev spoke about the main achievements of ArmRosgasprom
in the last 10 years. "The first achievement is the high index of
gasification in Armenia, and the index of Armenia’s gasification
is much higher than even Russia’s", mentioned Gazprom’s Management
Committee Deputy.
The next achievement is in the sphere of car gasification. Valeri
Golubev mentioned that gas is more economizing and cleaner fuel than
diesel oil.
The third is the change in the system of gas consumption. If before
the main consumer of the gas was energetics, at present the values of
the gas consumption of population and little and middle enterprises
has increased.
Analyzing the company’s indexes of 2006, the Board of Directors has
recorded that all the economic indexes have increased.
What about the gas price Valery Golubev mentioned that $110 for
thousand c. m. that Armenia pays presently is the lowest price. Only
Belarus’ gas price is lower, but it will increase to $130 for thousand
c. m. in 2008.
Valeri Golubev also mentioned that ArmRosgasprom had already purchased
the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline.
Karen Karapetian underlined that ArmRosgasprom could make Armenia a
good market of energy in the region.
Two gas pipelines enter Armenia from Russia and Iran, the 5th energetic
block of Hrasdan is going to be reconstructed, and in case of creation
of oil-refinery in the future there will be a good chance of selling
the produced energy in the region.
At the end of the briefing the Director General of ArmRosgasprom
mentioned that due to gas consumption the population of Armenia saves
about $300 mln annually, and the transport – $180 mln.
The measures devoted to the 10th anniversary of ArmRosgasprom finished
up with the concert of Armenian and Russian popular singers and
musicians in the Republic Square.