DUSHANBE, September 30, 2009, Asia-Plus — Uzbekistan has resumed natural gas supplies to Tajikistan after Tajik national natural-gas distributor, Tojiktransgaz, reportedly paid major part of its debt.
Shavkat Shoimov, the deputy director general of Tojiktransgaz, told Asia-Plus that Uzbekistan resumed gas shipments to Tajikistan yesterday. Reminding that Uzbekistan suspended gas supplies to Tajikistan three days ago, Shimov said that Uzbekistan currently supplies gas to the country at the rate of 20,000-25,000 cubic meters per hour.
“Tajik delegation, led by the Tojiktransgaz head, Saidmahmad Shrofiddinov, is still in Tashkent negotiating the debt regulation issue with Uzbek colleagues,” he said. Shoimov found it difficult to say how much Tojiktransgaz now owes to Uzbekistan, just noting that the exact amount will become known on completion of negotiations.
According to him, they have paid major part of the debt due to mutual settlement of accounts. As it had been reported earlier, under an agreement on mutual settlement of accounts reached between Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding, Uzbekenergo, Tojiktransgaz and Uztransgaz in early August this year, Barqi Tojik supplies 500 million kWh of electrical power to Uzbekenergo in August-September this year and Uzbekenergo, for its part, transfers funds to Uztransgaz.
This year, Uzbekistan sells its natural gas to Tajikistan for US$240 per 1,000 cubic meters. Tajikistan plans to buy some 550 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan this year.
