Itera finalizes terms of Turkmenistan-Russia gas supply deal

Turkmenistani government officials said that Igor Makarov, the head of Itera, had finalized the terms of a gas supply deal for 2001 while in Ashgabat. The new contract will be signed before the end of the year, the officials stated. They noted that the deal provides for Itera to buy 40 bn cm of Turkmenistani natural gas next year.
The price of the gas will be set at $ 40 per 1,000 cm, a price comparable to that offered to Ukraine at separate negotiations earlier in the year, they said. These statements were confirmed later by Turkmenistan's President Saparmurad Niyazov, who met with Makarov in Ashgabat on December 13.

Itera plans to transport all of the gas via the northward Central Asia-Centre pipeline, which passes through Kazakhstan on its way to Russia. Itera has made arrangements for gas transits through Kazakhstani territory and on December 12 signed a contract providing for shipment of 40 bn cm of Turkmenistani gas to Russia in 2001.
The company is already acting as agent for the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, which is due to take delivery of 20 bn cm of Turkmenistani gas this year. Ashgabat originally said it would charge Gazprom $ 45 per 1,000 cm of gas delivered in 2000 but ended up setting the price at $ 36 per 1,000 cm.