Wholesale prices for commercial gas may increase in Kazakhstan by 14.5% from July 1The Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan has prepared draft amendments to the order On approval of maximum prices for the wholesale selling of commercial gas on the domestic market of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the department’s press service reported on Wednesday."According to the draft order, the increase in the maximum prices for wholesale selling of commercial gas on the domestic market will be 3 - 4.8 tenge/m3 depending on the region, while the average increase in the republic will be 3 tenge/m3 (the current average wholesale price is 20.64 tenge /m3, the new price will be 23.64 tenge/m3),” the message says. Thus, the price will increase by 14.5%.According to the Ministry of Energy, today the wholesale price of gas in Kazakhstan “is one of the lowest in the world and amounts to about 20,640 tenge/thousand m3.” In particular, according to the ministry, prices in the neighboring Russian Federation were formed at the level of 35,000 tenge/thousand m3.The ministry believes that low prices reduce the investment attractiveness of the gas industry.“Today, subsoil users are not interested in developing gas fields due to the unprofitability of the gas industry. Therefore, the production of commercial gas tends to decrease. The current situation threatens a shortage of commercial gas, which will have to be covered through expensive imports,” the ministry stated.Taking into account the above, the press service notes, the issue of adjusting wholesale prices from July 1, 2024 is being considered.The Ministry of Energy believes that this measure will help ensure a stable and uninterrupted gas supply to the domestic market and increase the investment attractiveness of the gas industry.“The proposed increase in prices for commercial gas will have a slight impact on consumers - on average, the annual increase in expenses for a private house will be about 1,080 tenge per month, for apartments - 130 tenge per month,” the department said. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX