Over the first seven months of this year, Tajikistan has exported US$64.5 million worth of electricity, which is 17.2 percent more than in the same period last year, according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.
In January-July last year, Tajikistan exported US$55 million worth of electric power to neighboring countries.
Tajikistan now supplies electricity to Uzbekistan and northern provinces of Afghanistan within the framework of contracts concluded with power utility companies of these countries.
Tajikistan reportedly supplies electricity to Afghanistan at the rate of 4.67 cents per 1 kWh
Recall, Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company) CEO Mahmadumar Asozoda told reporters in Dushanbe on August 1 that Afghanistan now owes 28 million U.S. dollars to Tajikistan for electricity delivery.
According to him, electricity exports continue and no difficulties exist. “The entire necessary infrastructure both in Tajik territory and in Afghan territory is in working order,” Barqi Tojik top manager said.
Cases of suspension of supplies due to problems in the Afghan electricity grid this year have significantly reduced compared to the previous years, he added.
Barqi Tojik and its Afghan analog, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), signed an updated electricity supply deal worth US$69 million in December on the supply of 400 megawatt-hours of electricity daily in May-September and 25-30 megawatt-hours of electricity daily in October-April.
If that arrangement is executed as agreed, Tajikistan will provide Afghanistan with 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity this year. That is more than the 1.2 billion kilowatt-hours that Dushanbe says it delivered last year.
As fa as Uzbekistan is concerned, Tajikistan supplies electric power to this country at the rate of 2.00 cents per 1 kWh.
The low price for electricity supplied to Uzbekistan is due to the fact that Tajikistan, in turn, receives natural gas from Uzbekistan at a reduced price.
In accordance with the reached agreements, Tajikistan reportedly supplies electricity to the neighboring countries (Afghanistan and Uzbekistan) only during the April-October period.
Tajikistan has sufficient summer-time (defined as May 1 to September 30) hydropower surpluses to export to the neighboring countries.
