RulesIn force
Gas price rules (national operator pre-emptive right)
On approval of the Rules for determining the price of raw and commercial gas purchased by the national operator under the State's pre-emptive right
The English title is an unofficial translation.
Set the cost-plus formula for the price at which the national gas operator buys raw and commercial gas from subsoil users under the State's pre-emptive right, and a market-based formula for gas from newer contracts.
What matters for an oil & gas company
- Ceiling price of raw gas = production cost (gas share of the contract's oil and gas cost, per IFRS) × r + transport to the point of sale + profitability of no more than 10%, where r is the gas-to-oil export value ratio; for commercial gas: production cost × r1 (= r) + (processing + transport costs) × r2 + profitability, with r2 reflecting gas output (factor 0.7 to 5.7), gas quality and LPG revenue.
- For commercial gas under contracts signed after 01.01.2023 for areas with no earlier gas production (and for volumes above the five-year average under older contracts), price = 70% × (export price at the China border less the operator's margin of up to 10% and transport costs) × a field-complexity coefficient of 0.8 or 1 + 30% × the average of the domestic wholesale price caps.
- Subsoil users intending to sell gas submit documented calculations of the price of gas bought by the national operator under the State's pre-emptive right to the Ministry of Energy no later than 1 January of the coming year; the right does not cover the cases in Article 15(14) of the Gas Law, including gas from gas and gas-condensate fields.
The summaries are for orientation and are not legal advice. Only the official text is legally binding. Checked in September 2026.