Gazprom Sees No Need to Change European Contracts, Price Terms

摘要

Gazprom has no intention of altering the terms of its long-term gas contracts with European buyers or of changing Russia's oftcriticized oil-linked gas pricing system, Deputy Chief Executive Alexander Medvedev said Tuesday. Medvedev told a Moscow conference that slumping European gas sales this year do not provide grounds for revising deals with major customers, who have failed to import all the gas stipulated in their take-or-pay contracts. Overall, the Russian gas giant expects European consumers to buy 8 billion-9 billion cubic meters less than stipulated in their contracts in 2009 and may try to levy penalties (IOD Nov.11,p8).