Gas prices to go up in Kazakhstan to reach Russian level in 2015

Gas prices will go up in Kazakhstan by 2015, reaching the Russian level, Vice-Minister of Oil and Gas Lyazzat Kiinov said at the 19th Kazakhstan International Conference Oil and Gas at the KIOGE-2011 conference, Tengrinews.kz reports. Kiinov told about signing an agreement with Russia on the rules for access to services of natural monopolies in gas transportation via gas-transporting system. The basics for the pricing policy were also included into Kazakhstan-Russian document. Both parties undertook to achieve a common market prices of gas at the territory of all the member-countries of the common economic space not later than by January 1, 2015. However, Oil and Gas Vice-Minister noted that the prices will be increased gradually, reaching Russia’s prices level. Besides, Kiinov said that oil from the new Caspian oilfields (Kashagan in Kazakhstan and Filanovskiy in Russia), as well as oil from the existing Tengiz and Karachaganak fields will go the extended system of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium. This will result in creation of over 2,700 temporary and 150 constant jobs. Besides, the total carrying capacity of the pipeline will be increased from 28.2 million tons per year to 67 million, including for Kazakhstan’s oil up to 52.5 million tons per year. By Zhuldyz Seisenbekova