Natural gas prices at the start of the next heating season will depend on the current prices of oil and oil products - fuel oil and gas oil - in the world's markets, it writes.
"The market prices for fuel oil and gas oil have stabilized and have been virtually unchanged in the past eight months. However, since we pay for energy resources in US dollars, we estimate that gas prices may rise by 4 percent this October due to weakening of the euro against the US dollar," the paper quoted Danas Janulionis, deputy chairman of the National Control Commission for Prices and Energy, as saying.
Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius is cautious about the country's chances of receiving a discount on natural gas purchases from Gazprom by the end of this year.
"I wouldn't rule out such a possibility, but I can't make any forecasts ahead of (October's general) elections," he said when asked if the government and Gazprom could reach an agreement on more favorable gas prices before the start of the next heating season.
Lithuania's licensed gas suppliers paid Gazprom an average 472 US dollars, or 1,230 litas, per 1,000 cubic meters of gas in the fourth quarter of last year - the highest price in Europe. Last month, the average price for Russian gas imports was 1,323 litas.
2012-05-16 10:38
Gas prices for Lithuania may rise another 4 percent
The price of natural gas for Lithuania may reach 500 US dollars per 1,000 cubic meters next October, as another round of talks between the government and Russia's Gazprom yielded no result, the business daily Verslo Žinios reports.
„Gazprom“ / „RIA Novosti“/„Scanpix“
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