Astana, Kazakhstan, May 6
By Daniyar Mukhtarov - Trend:
The members of the Eurasian Economic Union will be able to move closer to the creation of a common energy market by 2019, Kazakh First Deputy Minister of Industry and New Technologies Albert Rau said.
"Approximately by July 1, 2019 we will be close to creating a common energy market. Prior to this date, an international treaty among the member states on the formation of a common electricity market will be signed, which would contain common rules for access to the network," Rau said.
The difficulty of creating a common energy market among the member states of the economic union is that there is a big difference in the operation of the power systems, according to the first deputy minister.
"Energy is more complicated here. As, Belarus is a 100-percent vertical state-owned company, in Russia - several power systems markets, energy markets, and in Kazakhstan - something else," Rau said.
At the same time, he said that parallel operation of power systems did not stop for all these years and there has even been a sale, according to the deputy minister.
"But of course we cannot say that today we are ready to create a common market. In my opinion, it's not critical for us today. If we have a surplus of electricity, in principle, we can also sell it," he said.
The concept and the program of the common energy market will be developed gradually over the next five years, according to the first deputy minister.
In late May, the head of the three countries - Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus plan to sign an agreement on the EAU.
Translated by S.I.
Edited by C.N.