DUSHANBE, October 29, 2010, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan will continue negotiations with Uzbekistan over the delivery of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems, the source at Barqi Tojik power holding (Tajik electricity supplier).
“Bilateral negotiations have not been interrupted since Uzbekistan left the Central Asian unified power grid, but Uzbekistan is going into dialogue on this subject unwillingly,” said the source, “As far as Uzbek electricity supplies to northern Tajikistan are concerned, the Panjakent zone now receives electricity from Uzbekistan. When we needed their help in October in connection with repair-and-service operations at the 500-kV South-North power grid, our Uzbek colleagues have met our halfway, but they have set tough terms. They agreed to sell us electric power at the rate of 4 cents per one kWh and we had to make prepayments. During a week, we imported 17.4 million kWh of electricity from Uzbekistan and 7.8 million kWh of electric power from Kyrgyzstan. We paid more than 3 million somoni (US$696,000) to Uzbekistan, while Kyrgyzstan supplied electricity on the basis of mutual settlement of accounts.”
Tajik specialists consider that electricity rates offered by Uzbekistan are too high and it is unprofitable to import Uzbek electricity for selling it inside the country at lower prices.
We will recall that an agreement on delivery of Turkmen electrical power to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems was reached in 2007. Under this agreement, Turkmenistan was supposed to supply annually 1.2 billion kWh of electric power to Tajikistan in autumn-winter period during five years at the rate of 3 cents per one kWh. However, Uzbekistan interrupted Turkmen electricity deliveries to Tajikistan on January 1, 2009.
