DUSHANBE, March 19, Asia-Plus — Tajik state natural-gas distributor, Tojikgaz, calls on residential consumers to repay their gas debts.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the Tojikgaz head Fathiddin Muhsiddinov noted that Uzbekistan had resumed gas supplies to Tajikistan and distribution of natural gas to residential consumers will resume gradually as the public repays its debt to the gas-distributing company.
He added that large enterprises such as Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant), TALCO (Tajik Aluminum Company) and others receive natural gas supplies regularly
As it had been reported earlier, Uzbekistan suspended exports of natural gas to Tajikistan on March 13. Tojikgaz officials noted that the suspension had been due to technical problems. According to Muhsiddinov, Uzbekistan resumed gas supplies to Tajikistan March 16.
We will recall that Tajikistan reached an agreement with Uzbekistan on the price for natural-gas imports for 2008 last December. The agreement sets the price gas for Tajik gas imports at $145 per 1,000 cubic meters. The sides also reached an agreement on the volume of natural gas to be imported from Uzbekistan in 2008. This year, Tajikistan is planning to import 650 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan. According to some source, the agreement requires Tajikistan to pay in full for the gas imports from Uzbekistan in advance, following past problems with mounting arrears.
In the meantime, public debts to Tojikgaz for gas consumption have to date amounted to 32 million somonis (equivalent to nearly $9.3 million) and Barqi Tojik power holding’s gas debts have amounted to $7 million, while Tojikgaz’s debt to Uzbekistan for gas imports have amounted to $6 million.
