PM urges governors to pay off gas debts by end-2014
MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax) - The Russian government is recommending that the country's regions pay off overdue debts for gas deliveries by the end of next year.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev made this recommendation after a conference call on October 29 on urgent measures to strengthen payment discipline in the area of natural gas supplies, the government website reported.
"To recommend to the leaders of the constituent members of the Russian Federation to approve (amend) schedules with LLC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz by December 10 for repayment of the overdue debt of housing and utility sector organizations, electricity sector entities, heat supply organizations and other major consumers for supplied gas with a deadline for repayment of debt by January 1, 2015 and to send copies of them to the Energy Ministry of Russia and Gazprom ," the protocol of the conference call states.
It was recommended that Gazprom, when drafting programs for the gasification of Russian regions, take into account compliance with these schedules.
The combined overdue debt of Russian gas consumers now stands at 100.7 billion rubles, twice the figure at the beginning of the year, according to Gazprom.
