Azerbaijan, Agjabadi, 17 January / corr. TrenCapital G. Jabiyev/ There will be no increase in the gas charges for the Azerbaijani Population in 2008, Alikhan Melikov, the President of Azerigas Closed Joint Stock Company stated on 17 January. At present, the gas charge is about AZN 0.05 for one cubic meter.
According to Melikov, approximately 80% of the Azerbaijani population is supplied with gas. Soon, Beylagan and then Horadiz will also be supplied with the gas.
In spite of the number of the subscribers and the supply of gas, there are still problems connected with the collections for the supplied gas. The collections from the population for the supplied gas made up 58% in 2007, which is 25% more as compared to 2006. However, the indicator still remains low, Melikov said.
Azerigas continues to install the meters which operate with a smart card. The installation of the meters is expected to be completed in Ganja till the end of the September. The installation process has already begun in Baku and meters are being installed in Azizbayov district of Baku. "If the project turns out to be effective, the installation process will be speeded up and soon all the subscribers will have the meters installed," Melikov said.
Azerigas Closed Joint Stock Company deals with the distribution and transportation of the gas within the republic, as well as runs all the distribution networks within the republic.