From 1 January 2017 on, the tariffs on Russian oil and oil products exported through the territory of Belarus may grow by 20.5%, news agency TASS reports with reference to a source at one of the Belarusian oil and transport companies.
Belarus’s Gomeltransneft Druzhba and Polotsktransneft Druzhba sent the corresponding notifications to Russia’s Transneft, the source states.
Transneft’s official representative Igor Demin confirmed the receipt of the Belarusian side’s offer but said the company did not see any grounds for such a rise.
Transneft filed its disagreement declaration to the Federal Antimonopoly Service. The agency is to deliver its decision on whether the increase in tariffs could be justified.
Belarus in search for oil alternatives (turn English subtitles on)
The conflict started in early 2016 as Belarus wanted to buy gas at the price of $73 per thousand cubic meters while the price for the time being was $132. According to the Russian Energy Ministry, Belarus gas debt reached $270-300 mln. In turn, Minsk failed to acknowledge it.
Amid the gas row, Russia cut oil supplies to Belarus: by the end of the year our country was expected to receive 18 mln tons instead of desired 24 mln. In response, Belarus raised duties on oil and oil products exported outside the customs territory of the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC). Later, however, Russia promised to restore the previous volume of oil deliveries to Belarus while the latter was about to annul a decision to raise the oil transit tariff. At the same time, Belarus broke its promise to settle the gas debt as its authorities were waiting for ‘some agreements’ to be signed.
