WATER PRICE TO BE RAISED IN YEREVAN
ARKA
April 16, 2008
YEREVAN, April 16. /ARKA/. The price for drinking water is expected to
be raised from 144 AMD to 154.85 AMD per cubic meter (VAT exclusive).
Director General of the Yerevanjur Company Serge Popoff reported
that a contract for management of the water-supply network allows
the company to apply to the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission
every February for reconsideration of the water supply price.
He pointed out that the company has applied to the Commission, which
is now considering the application.
The Application is to be considered this May, and it will be clear
then whether the water price will be raised ore not.
Popoff pointed out that it is an insignificant rise, which includes
annual inflation, the AMD/Euro exchange rate, electric energy prices
and difference between the planned and actual consumption of water.
Jean-Patris Poiret, Director of the Veolia Company for South and East
Europe, pointed out that the company-set prices are fully justified.
He also said that the company conducted a survey of the population’s
solvency and decided that the planned rise in acceptable.
Chairman of the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission Robert
Nazaryan earlier stated that a rise in the water price was unlikely. He
stressed that the Commission will propose postponement of the price
rise for the following years even if monitoring will reveal the
necessity for it.
On February 28, 2008, the Yerevanjur Company applied to the Commission
for a change in the water price in the context of 4.4% annual inflation
in 2007.
The Yerevanjur Company, Armenia’ resident, was founded by the Veolia
Generale des Eaux (France), which won a WB-announced tender for the
management of the Yerevan Water Sewerage Company, in 2005. The French
company is to invest $20mln in the repair of the water-supply network
under the WB credit program, â~B¬17.6mln from the receipts after the
approval of water-supply prices, the company’s own investments to
total â~B¬6.4mln.
–Boundary_(ID_odaqoFjmwS2N s3oHzXkplg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress