Gasprom plans to participate in Kazakh gas transportation system
05.07.04 21:04
/IRBIS, July 5, 04/ - Kazakhstan today informs that Russian gas monopoly
Gazprom plans to become the shareholder of the gas transportation system
of Kazakhstan, if it will be sold, deputy chairman of Gazprom board
Alexander Ryazanov told in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Below is abstract of translated news of Kazakhstan today.
Alexander Ryazanov pointed out that "Kazakhstan is above all important for
Russia as a transit state, and therefore we attentively follow the development
of the Kazakh gas transportation system."
Mr. Ryazanov believes that at present "the capacity of the Kazakh gas
transportation system does not correspond to Russia's requirements."
"Russia has contracts with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and big capacities
will be needed to transit Uzbek and Turkmen gas to Russia through
Kazakhstan," Mr. Ryazanov said. He specified that beginning from 2007
these volumes will exceed 70-80 billion cubic meters of gas a year.
According to Alexander Ryazanov, the Gazprom counterparts in Kazakhstan
say they are ready to increase the capacities of the gas transportation
system using their own or loaned money "without our direct participation, and
under the long-term contracts which will be concluded." "We welcome this
approach, in principle," Mr. Ryazanov continued.
At the same time, he is of the opinion that Gazprom can create the joint
venture for the expansion and modernization of the Kazakh gas
transportation system and invest in it its assets and money and, certainly,
load the existing system. "In any case I believe that both can be translated
into life given mutual consent," Mr. Ryazanov stressed.
In the first six months of the year Gazprom transported via Kazakhstan 20
billion cubic meters of Turkmenian and more than 2 billion cubic meters of
Uzbek gas. "These are great and impressive figures," he said.
The main network of the gas transportation system of Kazakhstan, which
includes 10,000 kilometers of pipelines with an annual throughput capacity of
up to 190 billion cubic meters, is being controlled by KazTransGaz with a
100% participation of the state.
[2004-07-05]