Beltransgaz pays only for May

• 23.06.2010, 11:17

Beltransgaz has paid $ 260.134 million for the May gas deliveries.

“A sum of the payment is $260.134 million. It was calculated by Beltransgaz in accordance with the gas contract of December 31, 2006. Thus, the Belarusian party has admitted the necessity to pay for gas in accordance with the contracted pricing formula,” Gazprom said Wednesday, RIA Novosti informs.

At the same time Gazprom says Beltransgaz must immediately pay the debt of $192 million that country has accumulated since the beginning of 2010.

The contracted price of Russian gas for Belarus is $184.8 per 1,000 cubic meters in the second quarter of the year. It was $169.2 in the first quarter, and will grow to $193-194 in the third quarter. The average price is expected to amount to $187.

Since the beginning of 2010, Belarus has been paying for Russian gas not according to the contract, but according to the unilaterally set price of $150 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Gazprom started reducing gas supplies to Belarus over debt. Alyaksandr Lukashenka said on Tuesday, when supplies were cut by 30%, that he had ordered to halt transit of Russian gas to Europe.

On Wednesday, Gazprom reduced supplies by another 30% thus extending gas cuts to 60% of the planned volume. Russian gas giant’s chief Alexey Miller said transit of gas through Belarus to European countries flows at full volume and consumers of Russian gas do not have any problems with the supplies.