MOSCOW, MARCH 4, RIA NOVOSTI - The Trans Nafta will have exported to Belarus 660 million cubic metres of gas by March 10, previous supplies considered, Denis Vinogradov, company chief of gas department, said to Novosti tonight.
The Trans Nafta of Russia and the Beltransgas of Belarus have for today agreed on 660 million cu m for this month-enough for March 10, say estimations. Exports will come at an old price of US$46.68 a thousand cu m.
Mr. Vinogradov confessed the company is hard put supplying low-price gas to Belarus. It has to stock up an amount unsold in the home market, collecting 20 to 50 million cu m from the various sources.
Last Tuesday's Trans Nafta-Beltransgas contract envisages 204 million cubic metres of gas supplied to Belarus at $46.68 per thousand cu m.
The Trans Nafta is now an only independent gas exporter to be making short-term supply contracts with the Beltransgas. The latest was signed for a mere two days-March 1 and 2.
The ITERA, another independent exporter, stopped supplies to Belarus, February 12, and the Gasprom mammoth, January 1.
Analysts expected the Gasprom and the Beltransgas to sign a contract for Russian gas supplies to Belarus and transits via it, Tuesday last. Their hopes were thwarted. "At present, we have no supply or transit contracts with Belarus," says Alexander Ryazanov, Gasprom deputy board chairman. Be that as it may, the Gasprom has announced it is willing to export an annual 10.2 billion cu m of gas to Belarus at an approximate $50 a thousand cu m.
The Gasprom and the Beltransgas have scheduled negotiations to resume, March 9, report Gasprom PR.
