Gas Supply from Azerbaijan Further Decreased

The supply of gas from Azerbaijan to Georgia again decreased, from the current 2.5 to 2 million cubic meters per day on January 25, which triggered gas delivery to several more districts in Tbilisi being halted, Georgian Deputy Energy Minister Aleko Khetaguri told Imedi television late on Wednesday.

Before this recent decrease only 40% of Tbilisi consumers were being supplied with gas. The gas supply has completely been cut to the regions of the country.

?Georgia now receives about 1.9-2 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan? As a result, the gas supply was cut to Tskneta, Bagebi and part of the Mtatsminda districts of Tbilisi? But we can still maintain a gas supply to the 9th power generator, which enables us to avoid problems with electricity supply,? Aleko Khetaguri said.

?This decrease of the gas supply is caused by the fact that Azerbaijan itself is experiencing a gas shortage; but our Azeri colleagues are doing their best and we should only thank Azerbaijan for this help,? Aleko Khetaguri said.

He also said that Energy Minister Nika Gilauri is currently visiting Baku to negotiate a possible increase of gas supply with the Azeri authorities.

Georgia started receiving 3 million cubic meters of Russian gas via Azerbaijan after two gas pipelines were blown-up in Russia?s North Ossetian Republic. This amount of gas was decreased to 2.5 million cubic meters on January 24 after a gas compressor station on the Russian side of the Russo-Azeri border was damaged, further worsening the energy crisis in Georgia.

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