Gasprom Maintains Former Gas Prices in Lithuania

Over the next six months, the Russian firm Gasprom will not change its price on natural gas delivered to the Lithuanian companies Lietuvos dujos and Dujotekana. The agreement relating to this was signed on Wednesday, June 5, in Moscow by the directors of the companies. The local agency BNS was informed of this today by Director of Lietuvos Dujos Vidmantas Cepukonis and Director of Dujotekana Raimundas Paliukas.

As it did in the first half of 2002, Lietuvos dujos will over the next six months buy gas from Gasprom at USD 80 per 1000 cubic metres, and Dujotekana will buy at USD 76. 'Fuel oil prices have been continually rising, so maintaining the former price is a positive thing. The price of gas is officially linked with the price of fuel oil, but in the agreement with Gasprom it's envisaged that it could change, depending on changes in the energy market. So the price is an object of discussion', said Paliukas.

On confirmation of the quotas, Dujotekana will buy a minimum of 550 million cubic metres of natural gas from Gasprom in the second half of 2002, and if necessary the quota will be raised to 70 million cubic metres. In the first six months of 2003, the company intends to buy 590 million cubic metres of gas. In the second half of 2002, Lietuvos dujos will buy 185 million cubic metres of gas from the Russian company, and Dujotekana will buy another 50 to 100 million cubic metres, depending on weather conditions. Over the whole of 2002, Dujotekana plans to import 1.2 billion cubic metres of Russian gas, and Lietuvos dujos 450 million cubic metres. Lietuvos dujos, which also owns gas pipelines, sells gas to smaller consumers and consumers which cannot buy gas from alternative sellers, whereas Dujotekana deals mainly with large buyers.

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