Azeri consumers’ gas debt cancelled

Tuesday, 12 January 2010 07:16

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday ordered to cancel the accumulated debt of citizens for consumed natural gas.
Under a relevant presidential decree, the arrears of the population totaling 327 million manats ($408 million), owed to the state-controlled gas supplier Azerigas, a production association under the state energy firm SOCAR, as of October 1, 2009, are no longer valid.
SOCAR will be compensated for the same amount from the 2009 state budget.
the measure is expected to ease the burden of utility expenses for Azerbaijani consumers during the cold winter season, analysts say