MINSK, 12 Mar. Belarus intends this year to work out with the Russian side the principles for the formation and functioning of a united gas market, said Belarus Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich.
“Now our task is to ensure the implementation of the third block of measures (the union program in the energy sector — ed.). This is the formation of the principles of the united gas market of the Union State. This will be a legal basis, a further impetus in building work on the united electricity market of the Union State. «But the most important task is to bring the conditions for economic entities of the two countries closer. We set the task of discussing and submitting these principles to the heads of government for their approval and further submission to the level of heads of state,» the minister said in an interview with Belarus 1 TV channel.
Answering the question whether this work will be done this year, Karankevich said that «in any case, we put such a task.»
The head of the Ministry of Energy of Belarus noted that the union program for nuclear energy has already been fully implemented: an intergovernmental agreement has been signed on the transportation of radioactive materials and the management of spent nuclear fuel at the BelNPP. He also recalled that at the end of February, the parties signed an agreement on the price of Russian gas for Minsk for 2023-2025.
Belarus and Russia are implementing three union programs to deepen cooperation in the energy sector: on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, the formation of united gas and electricity markets. In accordance with the Union Program, the united electric energy market of the Union State will start operating from January 1, 2024 through trade between authorized organizations, and from January 1, 2027, a transition to deeper integration in the electric power industry is envisaged. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that before December 1, 2023, a document on the creation of a united gas market of Russia and Belarus would be signed.
In November 2021, a meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia was held via videoconference, and a decree was signed on the main directions for implementing the provisions of the agreement on the creation of the Union State for 2021-2023. The document approves 28 union programs to deepen the economic integration of the two countries.