Objective Reasons For Gas Price Rise, Premier States

OBJECTIVE REASONS FOR GAS PRICE RISE, PREMIER STATES

news.am
March 17 2010
Armenia

The Government has focused its attention on the problem of gas price
and is taking all the necessary measures to alleviate a possible
social impact, RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated in Parliament
on March 17.

He said a task group has been formed to elaborate the relevant measures
for the socially vulnerable sections of the population. "We are now
specifying the number of unemployed in the country," Sargsyan said. He
underlined the urgency of the issue for Armenia with a rather high
poverty level here.

The RA Premier pointed out objective reasons for a decision to
raise gas prices – one of them is a higher price for gas imported to
Armenia. "Before approving the decision, the Public Services Regulatory
Commission made an in-depth analysis of ArmRosgazprom’s application,"
Sargsyan said. The Armenian Premier also stressed that the Government
has done its best to curb a rise in the gas price.

As of April 1, 2010, the gas price will be raised from 96 AMD up to
132 AMD per cubic meter for those consuming up to 10,000 cubic meters
a month. The price for commercial consumers (over 10,000 cubic meters
a month) will be raised from U.S. $215 up to U.S. $243.13 (inclusive
of VAT).