Belarus, Russia working on oil transit tariffs for 2012

The talks are in accordance with the Belarusian-Russian intergovernmental agreement on oil transportation of 20 July 1992, said the source. Representatives of the Federal Tariff Service of Russia, Belneftekhim concern, the Belarusian Economy Ministry, pipeline transport organizations of Belarus and Russia are taking part in the talks.

The agreements that have been signed with the company Transneft to regulate matters of oil transit and oil deliveries to Belarusian oil refineries expire on 1 February 2012. At present the sides use a special method to calculate oil transit tariffs, any changes in Russian oil transit tariffs via Belarus must be economically justified.

There are two oil transportation operators in Belarus: Gomeltransneft Druzhba and Polotsktransneft Druzhba. The former operates the southern line of the Druzhba pipeline to deliver Russian and Kazakh transit oil via Belarus to Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia, and supplies Russian and Belarusian oil to Mozyr Oil Refinery. Polotsktransneft Druzhba operates the northern line of the Druzhba pipeline to deliver Russian oil to the Belarusian oil refinery Naftan. The pipelines operated by Polotsktransneft Druzhba can be used to transit oil to the Baltic states.

In 2010 Gomeltransneft Druzhba transported 75.5 million tonnes of oil and plans to pipe about 72 million tonnes this year in line with the volume reserved by OAO AK Transneft; Kazinform cites BelTA.