Dissatisfaction with Gazprom Armenia's Service Quality, MP Addresses PSRC Head

Significant dissatisfaction exists with the internal gas service provided by Gazprom Armenia. This was stated by MP Narek Ghahramanyan of the ruling faction when addressing Garegin Baghramyan, President of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC).

“Since 2021, Gazprom Armenia has been responsible for internal gas servicing, which was previously managed by a private company. Very few are satisfied with the quality of service; for the most part, no service is provided. They call the subscribers, asking if everything is fine and whether they need to come over. Most people do not want to receive them, saying everything is fine. However, citizens are not specialists and cannot determine if there is a gas leak or not. As a result, there have even been fatal incidents; several cases have occurred in 2023 due to gas leaks, causing carbon monoxide poisoning or explosions. Essentially, citizens are paying for the service, but for the majority, they do not often visit people's homes,” he stated.

In response, Garegin Baghramyan said, “I must clarify that internal service fees have been established since 2005, revised in 2013, and have not been reviewed since. There are technical regulations set by government decree, which stipulate that all internal systems must undergo servicing, and the public should receive service twice a year. The commission has set the connection fees, specifically for Gazprom Armenia, as it is our licensed entity responsible for providing the corresponding services. It is another matter that it has delegated to another company.”

He noted that since 2019, discussions have been ongoing with the government about liberalizing the sector so that other companies can also provide services. “Our only request was that the company take responsibility and provide services for everyone, regardless of whether it is economically viable or not. Regarding whether the services are being carried out or not, we have informed customers several times, enough time has passed, and it can be repeated,” he added.