BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/10/2007

Belarus to buy 21.6 bln cu m of natural gas from Russia in 2008

MINSK, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - The Belarusian energy minister said on Tuesday that the country would receive 21.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2008.

Alexander Ozerets told Cabinet ministers that Belarus will receive 6.5 billion cu m in January-March, 4.55 billion cu m in the second quarter, 4.39 billion cu m in the third, and 6.18 billion cu m in the final quarter of 2008.

He said that Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom would supply 6.35 billion cu m in October-December 2007.

Ozerets said Belarus's stored gas reserves would total 660 million cu m by the end of October.

The minister said after talks in Moscow last week that Belarus would pay 67% of the average European natural gas price in 2008 as previously agreed, but did not give an exact figure.

Gazprom delivers over 20 billion cu m of natural gas to Belarus annually. This year Belarus has imported Russian gas at a cost of $100 per 1,000 cu m, but paid only 55% of the price in the first half of the year, until Gazprom's threats to cut supplies over arrears forced Belarus to agree to the full price.

Source:

http://en.rian.ru/world/20071016/84168595.html