DUSHANBE, July 22, 2009, Asia-Plus — Tajik state natural-gas distributor, Tojiktransgaz, should pay off its 16 million US dollars debt to the Uzbek state gas producer, Uztransgaz, until October 1, 2009, the Tojiktransgaz head Saidmahmad Sharofiddinov told reporters in Dushanbe on July 21.
According to him, a debt repayment schedule, worked out by specialists from Tojiktransgaz, has been considered and approved by the government. “Tojiktransgaz now owes some 16 million U.S. dollars in arrears to Uzbekistan,” Sharofiddinov said, noting that they have accumulated the debt due to nonpayment of gas debts by large industrial enterprises.
“Enterprises such as Barqi Tojik power holding, Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant), SomonSughdGaz (private natural-gas distributor in Sughd province), and Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) have not yet repaid their debts for natural-gas consumption, and therefore, we’re not able to settle the debt to Uztransgaz,” said Sharofiddinov, “However, these enterprises are continuing to receive gas within the limits of the possible.”
“Thus, Tojikcement now owes more than 3 million US dollars, however, it is continuing to receive gas because the country needs cement and we currently supply natural gas to this plant at the rate of up to 11,000 cubic meters per hour,” said the Tojiktransgaz top manager, “Talco and other enterprises are practically in the same situation.”
He noted that Tajikistan now receives natural gas from Uzbekistan at the rate of up to 35,000 cubic meters per hour.
In the meantime, local enterprises have reduced natural-gas consumptions following increase of the price of Uzbek gas to $240 per 1,000 cubic meters and the global financial crisis. “For example, the fertilizer plant, Tojikazot, reduced gas consumption from 33 million cubic meters in the first half-year of 2008 to 100,000 cubic meters in the first six months of this year and Barqi Tojik reduced gas consumption from 64 million to 23 million cubic meters,” said Sharofiddinov, “Tojikcement has also reduced gas consumption by 10 million cubic meters.”
He added that Tajikistan has received 133 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan over the first half-year of 2009. We will recall that the agreement concluded between Tojiktransgaz and Uztransgaz in Uzbekistan on December 31, 2008 covers the import of some 530 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan through 2009.
