SUPPLIES OF RUSSIAN GAS TO ARMENIA SLASH BY 20 PERCENT IN FIRST HALF

/ARKA/
July 29, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, July 29, /ARKA/. Supplies of Russian gas to Armenia in the
first half of 2010 slashed by 19.7% year-on-year to 739.3 million
cubic meters, ArmRosGazprom (ARG), the Russian-dominated national
gas distribution company of Armenia, said in a statement posted on
its official website.

According to it, 749.5 million cubic meters of gas were sold by the
company to households and corporate consumers in Jan.-June, by 13.6%
less if compared to the same time span last year.

“The additional consumed gas was from the company’s storage
facilities,’ it said.

Household consumption decreased by 16.8% year-on-year to 286.8 million
cubic meters. Power generating companies’ consumption shrank by 34.5%
to 102.1 million cubic meters.

Industrial sector consumption rose slightly by 5.7% to 123.4 million
cubic meters.

Consumption by other consumers, mainly by liquefied gas filling
stations, dropped by 0.4% to 141.8 million cubic meters.

ARG has a monopoly over the distribution of natural gas in Armenia
which is mainly imported from Russia via Georgia.

The Armenian government owns 20% of ARG, and the remaining 80% is
owned by Russia’s Gazprom.

From: A. Papazian