Maximum of incomes shown to Gazprom
The FAS has supported the indexation of gas tariffs by 2% in July 2016 – it’s the lowest level of the rates growth for the past 15 years, not counting their freeze in 2014. According to the estimates of analysts, it will result in the loss of about 52 billion rubles for Gazprom in comparison with the option of indexing by 7.5%, expected in August. However, the FAS’ management will take the official decision in the next year and still can change it.
The FAS has supported the idea of the Ministry of Economy to index the regulated gas prices by 2% in July 2016, head of the Service Igor Artemyev said on Friday. The projected inflation for 2016 is 6.4%. He acknowledged that with such indexation "Gazprom and energy companies are clamped," but, according to the official, "this means that electricity prices won’t grow". Meanwhile, in early October, the FAS advocated the indexing the gas tariff by 5%, and in August they were intended to be increased by 7.5%. Moreover, the Ministry of Economy, which was the main initiator of the reducing indexation of the gas prices to 2%, admit in mid-October that the indexation might be higher due to the fact that Gazprom would have additional tax exemption through the increase in the severance tax next year. But now this idea was abandoned, say the Kommersant’s interlocutors in the Government. "There is excess gas on the domestic market, the price of gas at the exchange is less than the rate, so there is no reason for the significant growth in the regulated prices," - says one of them.
