ARMROSGAZPROM REGISTERS GAS CONSUMPTION GROWTH THIS YEAR

ARMROSGAZPROM REGISTERS GAS CONSUMPTION GROWTH THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11. ARMINFO. The ArmRosgazprom company has
registered a gas consumption growth this year despite small gas
purchases by Armenia’s energy sector, says the company’s director
general Karen Karapetyan.

This year the company is planning to buy 1.350 bln c m of gas which is
100 mln c m more than in 2003 this is due to the continuing process of
gas consumption in the population. This year the company will get
80,000 real and 120,000-150,000 potential gas subscribers to have by
the end of the year 266,000 and 320,000-350,000 subscribers
respectively.

In 2003-2004 the real subscriber growth made up 100%. “You won’t find
such an index anywhere in the world,” says Karapetyan. He says that
this year the number of potential gas subscribers exceeded the
Soviet-time figure this is considering that Armenia was one of the
most gas sufficient republic of the former USSR – some 485,000 gas
consumers.

True, illegal facilities constitute a serious obstacle to further gas
installation activities. Yerevan’s Municipality allows such
constructions over operating gas main areas and if they break down the
company is not let into private territories, says Karapetyan.

As for the plans for 2005 they will be announced in Jan 2005.