Iranian and Russian gas will “come across” in Georgian gas network

Read it in Russian

As REGNUM earlier reported, on January 30, Iran started pumping gas to Georgia via Azerbaijan. As Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gilauri said, the gas from Iran will let load the Tbilisi Gas Distributing Tbilgazi Company fully, which in its turn, means that all individual consumers in the capital will be supplied with gas, as well as the Fourth and the Ninth Power Blocks of the Tbilisi Hydroelectric Power Station.

Over 2 million cubic meters of the Iranian gas will be used primarily for the power-generating units in Georgia. To cover Georgia’s needs of gas 7 million cubic metes of gas are needed – the amount that had been supplied to Georgia before January 22, when the gas pipeline was wrecked by the explosions. Since January 23, 2.5-3 million cubic meters of gas was supplied to Georgia daily from Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, gas from Russia has started arriving into Georgia since 10:17 a.m. (Moscow time) on January 29. At present moment, the gas is supplied to Georgia in the full extent. Armenia is also preparing to receive the Russian gas. In Armenia, they expect increasing of pressure in the Georgian gas distributing network to open the valves to let the gas into the Armenian territory.

It should be noted, there have been no reports on the cost of the Iranian gas for Georgia. There are only unofficial reports in Tbilisi that the Iranian gas might be supplied to Georgia on the exchange basis: in return for it Georgia will supply electricity to Iran, which it usually has a lot in the summer period. At the same time, according to independent sources, the price of the Iranian gas is $120 for a thousand cubic meters, against $110 – the price envisaged by the agreement of Georgia and Gazprom.

Energy crisis hit Georgia after the explosions on the main and reserve Mozdok-Tbilisi gas pipelines on January 22. As a result, gas supplies were cut off from Russia to Georgia and Armenia. On the same night two tangent towers of Kavkasioni electric power lines were blasted. Then, on the night of January 26, an accident occurred on the Imereti electric power lines.