FAS accuses Gazprom of violations

SETP might suffer.

FAS, that has proved the pipe companies not guilty in the agreement at the pipes supply to Gazprom, starts the investigation in respect of the monopoly and the largest pipe trader SETP of the Rotenberg brothers. FAS thinks Gazprom and SETP worked in agreement which didn’t allow the pipe companies to participate in the monopoly’s tenders making them work via the trader. Each of the potential violators might be fined up to 6.8 bln roubles. However, the participants of the market doubt FAS will manage to influence on the tender system of Gazprom.

Yesterday the head of FAS, I. Artemiev, announced that the agency starts a case on the competition restriction in the large diameter pipes market in respect of Gazprom and “North European Pipe project” LLC (SETP, from 2010 is controlled by the Rotenberg brothers, TMK, OMK, ChTPZ and Izhora pipe plant of Severstal hold 5.95% each). The case was the consequence of the completed on March 15th investigation in respect of the pipe companies that were accused of the coordination of supplies to Gazprom in 2008-2011. Within that time Gazprom purchased more than 5 mln tons of large diameter pipes, the supply of the Russian company exceeded 90%. On the results of the investigation the agency came to the conclusion the pipe companies are not guilty as the monopoly made its lots for the large diameter pipes supply so big that none of the companies could participate in the tenders directly.