Gas price for Belarus at $160.5 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2013

MINSK, 8 February (BelTA) - The Russian gas price for Belarus in 2013 stands at $160.5 per 1,000 cubic meters, First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko said at a meeting of the Board of the Energy Efficiency Department of the State Committee for Standardization on 7 February, BelTA has learnt.

Vladimir Semashko urged the power engineers and manufacturers to step up their energy conservation efforts in order to make maximum use of “the gas pause”. “We should become more efficient in this matter. Energy will not be getting cheaper. We have the gas pause: in 2012 we got gas at an average price of $165.7 per 1,000 cubic meters. In 2013 the price is even slightly lower -$160.5 per 1,000 cubic meters,” said Vladimir Semashko. He cited the average price of gas for Ukraine, which was in $414 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2012. According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, "in 2 to 3 years prices for gas and electricity will start to grow again. Therefore we need to use these opportunities and solve many issues in energy saving".

Vladimir Semashko criticized some enterprises for failing to benefit from the opportunities. He demanded the Energy Efficiency Department stay in contact with the enterprises and ensure they start working harder on energy conservation. "It is necessary to take tough measures against those who do not comply with energy efficiency policy," said Vladimir Semashko.

He stressed that good progress has been lately achieved in energy conservation. “Over the past 15 years Belarus’ GDP has increased by 250%, while energy consumption has gone up by as little as 16.8%,” Vladimir Semashko noted. In 2011 (2012 figures not yet available) oil equivalent made up 285kg per $1,000 of GDP, down 2.7 times over the past years. Vladimir Semashko cited the data for Russia, where oil equivalent used to make up 560kg per $1, 000 of GDP. Now it is 470kg.

Local fuels should be made maximum use of to slim down the GDP energy intensity. Over the past six years the share of local fuels increased from 17% to 25%. Belarus aims for 29-30% by 2015. “We have been making headway on these programs, and there are ways to produce energy at lower costs," said Vladimir Semashko.

He also noted the importance of renewable energy projects. The matter is about the construction of hydroelectric power stations on the rivers of Belarus. “We cannot ignore such sources as wind and solar energy. We should make use of everything God has given us," said the First Deputy Prime Minister.