Belarus to buy gas at $200 from July

First vice premier Uladzimir Syamashka told at the Belarusian Industry Forum Russian gas price for Belarus would be $200-250 per 1000 cubic meters from July.

“Today (gas price for Belarus ¬– IF) is $147 per 1000 cubic meters, and from July 1 we’ll pay about $200–205 per 1000 cubic meters,” Interfax quotes the official.

Uladzimir Syamashka tried to soften his statement and emphasised Belarus would pay less for the Russian gas than Europe. He explained the transportation to Belarus costs less than one from Russian to Europe. Besides, the first vice premier added that “one of the achievements of the ‘union state’ is duty-free gas delivering”.

It’s the first year when Beltransgaz has started using European formula for paying for gas that provides for revaluation of gas prices every three months. It should be reminded that Belarusian officials kept the real Russian gas price for Belarus in secret at the begging of the year, than Russian and Belarusian official gave controversies information. It was reported that Dmitry Medvedev and Alyaksandr Lukashenka allegedly agreed upon gas supplies to Belarus in December 2008, but the contract was signed only in late January 2009.

In 2008, the average gas price for Belarus was $125 per 1000 cubic meters. In 2009, Belarus spends $3.27 to import 22.1 billion cubic meters of gas at the average price $148 per 1000 cubic meters.

At the same time, Russia’s ambassador to Belarus Aleksandr Surikov said last year Belarus would buy gas at a prise close to $200 per 1000 cubic meters in 2009, and pay $240 per 1000 cubic meters in the first quarter of the year.

One of the criteria for gas pricing for Belarus is a deal between Belarus and Russia to sell a 50-percent stake in Beltransgaz to Gazprom. Gazprom paid for another 12 percent of share in January and increased its stake in the Belarusian company to 37.5 percent.

According to Russian Kommersant daily, Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Dmitry Medvedev agreed at their last meeting that Beltransgaz’s share would be sold in advance. The Russians were to buy the last part of the stake in 2010.