Lietuvos dujos to buy gas from Gazprom Export in 2012, but at current price
VILNIUS. Jan 27 (Interfax) - Lithuanian gas import and transport company Lietuvos dujos will purchase gas from LLC Gazprom Export, subsidiary of Russia's OJSC Gazprom , in 2012, but at the current price.
"A contract on gas supplies for this year has been signed with Gazprom Export," the press officer from Lithuanian company Sigita Petrikonyte-Jurkuniene told Interfax.
He declined to specify how much gas Lietuvos dujos plans to purchase or at what price, citing commercial confidentiality.
At the same time, he said that "negotiations on improving import conditions in 2012 and in the period after 2012 are being held with Gazprom Export."
Informed sources told Interfax that the agreement was signed with Gazprom Export, and not with Gazprom, as before. However, this did not affect the supply conditions. The long-term contract that Lietuvos dujos signed with Gazprom after the Russian company bought 34% of the Lithuanian company's shares in March 2004 is valid until the end of 2015.
The sources also said that Gazprom Export is ready to sign a new long-term contract to provide insurance against future competitors that will emerge after Lithuania commissions its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
There are assumptions that with the change in gas supplier, Gazprom's representatives in Lietuvos dujos' management could also be replaced. Gazprom is currently represented by its Vice President Vladimir Golubev and management board member Kirill Seleznev.
Other major Lithuanian companies also purchase gas from Gazprom - the gas importer Dujotekana, the nitrogen fertilizer plant Achema and the Kaunas Thermal Power Plant (TPP).
As reported, the Lithuanian government has accused Gazprom of setting an unfair high price on gas. The two sides have initiated several court proceedings, including in the Stockholm Arbitration Court. The European Commission has launched an investigation into the validity of the price for gas delivered to Lithuania.
Gazprom owns 37.06% of Lietuvos dujos, Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas International owns 38.9%, and the Lithuanian government owns 17.7%.