Shymkent businessmen ask to “give gas”

Restrictions on connection to natural gas concern not only SMEs, but also ordinary residents, reports Inbusiness.kz.
Oil and gas news
The problem with the shortage of natural gas for consumers was exposed at the regular meeting of the Atameken Business Rights Protection Council. While the lawyers of the NPP voiced constant complaints from entrepreneurs about the demands of the monopoly to pay 100% prepayment for not consumed gas and the system of fines for over- and under-consumption of the declared volume, it turned out that natural gas Shymkent is still simply not enough.
Connection moratorium
Technical conditions for insertion into the gas pipeline system have not been issued to business entities since August 2019, and two months ago the monopoly, represented by the Shymkent production branch of KazTransGas Aimak JSC, introduced a ban for individuals. Moreover, restrictions on gas consumption have been imposed for some large industrial enterprises, such as bitumen and brick factories. Explaining the situation, the director of the Shymkent branch, Yerbol Rakhimberdiev, referred to the lack of production capacities for the distribution of natural gas across the metropolis. The two gas distribution stations in the city cannot cope with the load.
KazTransGas Aymak News
We have two gas distribution stations, they were built in the 70s, and operate at a capacity of more than 120%. This issue has been raised more than once, in turn, the monopoly wanted to build a GRS on its own, but this would have affected the tariff. And the local executive bodies, taking this into account, made a commitment to build. As far as we know, the PSD is ready, the construction of the third GDS has already begun and is promised to be completed in 2021. The new GRS is being built with a capacity of 250 thousand, the so-called “hour” (cubometers per hour), said Yerbol Rakhimberdiyev, director of the SPF of KazTransGas Aymak JSC.
That is, there is enough gas in the main gas pipeline, but it is not possible to transfer it to the city. At the same time, it turned out that the construction of the third GRS was to be completed at the end of 2019, but, as has become a traditional explanation in the region, due to the division of the region into two regions, all plans and projects stalled. Now the delivery of the GRS is promised not earlier than 2021, but at the beginning of the year or at the end of the year is unknown.
How long will the moratorium be resolved? It is important to know who is responsible. Business can't stand still. If now large enterprises grow or new ones open, they will need volumes of gas, and the constraining factor is the construction of the GDS, and when they are built, no one can answer. We in FEZ railway deadlock promise to run for 9 years. It will also work with the GRS?!, a member of the Council for the Protection of the Rights of Entrepreneurs of Atameken NCE Shymkent Vladimir Nakisbayev was outraged.
To the understandable indignation, representatives of KazTransGas responded that they had already offered the authorities two solutions to the issue, but none of them was accepted for implementation.
“We have proposed two options. To build a branch from the Sairam GRS, there is a short distance, about 4-5 km of a gas pipeline. This will release the capacity of about 15-20 thousand cubic meters, and this would be enough for a couple of years. There is another option – the release of capacity from the GDS of the oil refinery. The plant is ready to allocate about 30-35 thousand cubic meters of capacity for the city, but again the branch is needed. As private investors, the plant is ready to build a branch at its own expense and are working on this issue with the akimat. They need to know how much gas will be consumed, said the director of the Shymkent branch of KazTransGas Aimak.
News of Kazakhstan
A branch of the gas pipeline from the oil refining is planned to be built for the needs of enterprises of the FEZ Ontustik. And the released capacity will be directed to the needs of the metropolis. In addition, according to the expert, the SEZ is planned to be expanded by another 200 GA, then it will be more interesting and profitable for the investor of PetroKazakhstan Oil Product to engage in the project. However, Batyr Yergeshov, deputy head of the city prosecutor's office, recalled that at an extended meeting of the government, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed to check the effectiveness of all free economic zones in the country, hinting that the FEZ in Shymkent will expand or close.
Shymkent news
The President of the country instructed to study the effectiveness of FEZ activities in the republic. (...) I assume that certain FEZs will either be closed or reoriented, Batyr Yergeshov, deputy head of the Shymkent Prosecutor’s Office, said.
In both variants, the construction will not take more than 2-3 months, gas companies say, and this will allow several years to safely wait for the emergence of a third city gas distribution station.
While adopting the resolution of the meeting of the Council, its participants still demanded to cancel 100% prepayment and penalties (in the form of payment of lost profits and accrual of coefficients in case of overconsumption of gas) for industrial enterprises, especially those engaged in domestic production, as contrary to the requirements of the Civil Code. Second, it was decided to request information on the pricing of commercial gas for the city of Shymkent and provide information on the work done. Thirdly, to initiate letters to the akimat about the measures taken to build a new GRS with clear deadlines for the start and completion of work.
Mira Bakhytov, Shymkent.