ARMENIA’S GAS IMPORTS 2,254.5MLN CUBIC METERS LAST YEAR

ARKA
Jan 30, 2009

YEREVAN, January 30. /ARKA/. Last year Armenia’s gas imports totaled
2,254.5mln cubic meters against 2,054.4mln the previous year.

The 2008 report of the RA Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources
says that 61,168 new gas users were registered last year, 59,753 of
them being residents.

Also, 912 km of gas pipelines, 296 gas control points, 66 anti-gas
defense stations were renovated.

One hundred and forty-nine individual pressure controllers were
produced, and other work was done.

The ArmRosgasprom CJSC holds a monopoly of the supply and distribution
of Russian natural gas in Armenia. Russia supplies gas to Armenia
through Georgia.

The company was founded in 1997 by Gapsrom and the RA Ministry of
Energy (45% of stock each), with the rest 10% held by the Itera
Company.

After the two out of the three planned stages of the investment project
and after Gasprom purchased the additional shares of ArmRosgasprom
in 2006 and in 2008, its share in the company’s authorized capital
reached 75.55%.

The respective shares of the RA Government and of the Itera Company
are 20% and 4.44%.