DUSHANBE, August 5, 2008, Asia-Plus — Tajik state natural-gas distributor Tojikgaz has partially repaid its roughly $8 million debt to Uzbekistan, the Tojikgaz director general Fathiddin Muhsiddinov told Asia-Plus on Tuesday.
According to him, they have transferred $ 3million to Uzbekistan so far, and Tajikistan now owes roughly $5million in arrears to Uzbekistan.
The Tojikgaz top manager noted that Uzbekistan had doubled natural-gas shipments to Tajikistan — from 10,000 cubic meters per hour to 20,000 cubic meters.
At present only Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) receives gas supplies regularly and Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant) receives natural gas partially, while gas supplies to Tojikazot, which produces mineral fertilizers, have been suspended “because of fuel shortages,” Muhsiddinov said.
He added that Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding and Tojikcement remain the main gas debtors. The power holding now owes some $2.7.8 million to Tojikgaz for natural-gas supplies and natural-gas debts of Tojikcement have amounted to $1 million, Muhsiddinov said.
