MINSK, December 6. /TASS/. Implementation of the first stage of forming the common electricity market of Belarus and Russia will kick off in 2025, Energy Minister of Belarus Alexey Kushnarenko told reporters when speaking about the agreement between the countries on such market.
"This is an important strategic document that establishes legal fundamentals for creation of the integrated electricity market," the minister said, cited by the BelTA news agency. "This market will be formed in stages, with consideration of the parallel work of two energy systems with their technological and organizational specificities," he noted.
Rules underlying the market operation undergo the endorsement procedure at present, Kushnarenko said.
Establishment of the common market will kick off as early as in 2025, the minister said. The final goal of the project is "to form and launch the gas market and the electricity market," Kushnarenko added.
"It is anticipated at this stage that all the relations will be built through authorized grid operators. They will be determined from the Belarusian side and from the Russian side," the minister noted.
All the legal grounds for fair competition appear after signing the agreement, which is to be eventually reflected in tariffs for businesses and for households, he added.