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AzeriGaz Chief Alikahn Melikov: Gas bill collection rate from population is unsatisfactory

23 January 2009 13:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov â€“ APA-Economics. Nationwide bill collation rate for gas from population was 60% in 2008, said Alikhan Melikov, Chief of AzeriGaz state utility.
According to him, the collation rate is not satisfactory and gas customers were given a grace period to pay off their bills by Jan. 25.
â€œWe are supplying gas to the areas at the same level as they paid their bills. For example, we are supplying 65 million cubic meters of gas to a region which demand for gas is 100 million cubic meters if the bill collection rate is 65% in this region,â€ he added.
He noted that AzeriGaz received 11.205 billion cubic meters of gas from SOCAR in 2008.
â€œOf this, 2.027 billion cubic meters came from Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli and 2.232 billion cubic meters from Shah Deniz. We delivered 4.509 billion cubic meters to AzerEnerji Electricity Company and 441 million cubic meters to Georgia. We have left AZN 258 million worth of 4.518 billion cubic meters of gas. However, this gas brought in AZN 165 million,â€ he noted.
According to him, AzeriGaz paid AZN 45 million to the state budget, AZN 12.5 million to the State Social Insurance Fund, AZN 37.6 million for paychecks, AZN 15 million for overhaul and AZN 30m million for major constructions.
He said 1.4 billion cubic meters of gas was injected into underground storage facilities. Of this, 470 million cubic meters has been used and 10 million cubic meters of gas is being taken a day.
He also noted that new 147 residential areas or 4 regions were made accessible to gas in 2008, and about 1 000km pipes were laid.
According to him, there are 1.2 million gas customers, including 40 000 new consumers in the country.