YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The examination done by the working group set by the instruction of PM Pashinyan has reveals that the current gas tariff can be reduced by at least 10%, ARMEN PRESS reports member of the working group, expert in energy sphere Eduard Arzumanyan said, presenting the preliminary results of the gas price study of the last 2 months and the opportunities to reduce it. According to him, PM Pashinyan has been briefed on the conclusions.

Arzumanyan pointed out a number of risks that cause high price.

According to the preliminary conclusion of the working group, the total loss of natural gas is too high - about 140-150 million cubic meters per year, which is actually impossible.

Arzumanyan noted that a 10 AMD decline of electricity tariff is also possible. “First of all, the working group thinks that a wrong tariff was set during “Electric Yerevan”. Second, the Public Services Regulatory Commission made wrong decisions in 2016. It preserved the percentage of losses of "Electric Networks of Armenia" in 2016 equal to 2015. If in 2015 the losses amounted to 11.3%, in the next years, for example in 2016 it dropped to 9%, in 2017 – to 8.8%, and it was 8% during the first half of this year”, he said, adding that the Commission still counts 11.3%.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan