Gazprom is not to give in :: Charter'97 :: News

The Gazprom’s representative remarks that there are three options of the energy conflict settlement for Belarus. “There are three options for Belarus: to do nothing and the gas will be switched off; to pay and settle the problem; to propose us something making us not switch the gas off”, the Gazprom’s representative declared in his interview with the “Kommersant” daily.

Commenting on the final option the Kommersant remarks that at the beginning of the year the Belarusian authorities promised to privatize their large enterprises. “The prime minister Syargei Sydorsky even guaranteed selling of almost all large petrochemical enterprises of Belarus, which can be interesting to Gazprom, LUKOIL and other industrial Russian corporations”, the periodical mentions adding that ”the Belarusian government has not announced a single privatization competition ,yet”, the Telegraf reports.
According to the Gazprom, Belarus is not in position of delaying the conflict settlement. In December 2006 when the republic faced certain problems with the Gazprom the deputy prime minister Uladzimir Syamashka said that the country could have survived three weeks at the expense of the gas saved in the underground storage and of the gas left in the pipeline.
It was stressed by the Gazprom that “the present situation cardinally differs from the one occurred six months ago”.The thing is that in summer the gas is to be pumped into the storages and not to be pumped out, moreover, the pipeline system has been only half filled in. Due to the fact that the delivery reduction is due on 3 August (Friday), and at the weekend businesses consume less energy thus the main problems Belarus is to face on Monday only, the Kommersant writes.
From gas to black oil
Meanwhile, Belarus intends to compensate a supposed shortage of the natural gas by shifting to black oil .But the country’s economy will not manage to completely overcome the unpleasant consequences. That is reported by the Russian agency”Interfax” quoting a representative of an industrial state management body.
According to the informer, that is likely to result in a certain reduction of electrical energy production and in breaking the schedule of storing fuel for the forthcoming heating season.
Furthermore, the growth of black oil consumption will cause additional expenditures. The official quoted by the periodical, have explained that due to the required payment of the special duty on the oil delivered to Belarus for petrochemical production in Belarus , including the fuel black oil, is unprofitable and it is subsidized from the budget.