DUSHANBE, September 15, Asia-Plus – “The Dushanbe cement plant has consistently fulfilled its obligations on supplying cement to the Sangtuda-1,” Rajabgul Haqnazarova, the deputy director general of Tojikcement (the Dushanbe cement plant), said in an interview with Asia-Plus Friday evening.
According to her, the plant has daily, including Friday, delivered the planned 600-700 tons of cement to the site for the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power station (HPS). Moreover, 4,000 tons of cement are currently in the storages on the site.
“Therefore, spoiling delivery of cement is out of the question,” said Haqnazarova , “The plant realizes cement to the Sangtuda-1 station at the rate of 278 somonis per one ton of Portlandcement and 280 somonis per one ton of sulfate-resistant cement, while the market prices of cement fluctuates from 850 to 1,200 somonis per one ton.”
“In the beginning of this year already, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) set the cement prices at the rate of 382.50 somonis per one ton for the Portland cement and 402.90 somonis for the sulfate-resistant cement,” said the deputy director general. “However, meeting the Sangtuda-1 administration halfway, we have considerably lowered the prices.”
In answer to this, open joint-stock company (OJSC) Santuda-1 HPS has pledged itself to purchase cement from the plant by prepayment. “”Thus, they have to pay us $1.5 million for the first half-year of 2007,” said Haqnazarova, “We planned to use these funds to modernize our plant in order to increase the volume of production and clear off our debts.” “However, despite the agreement, Sangtuda-1 HPS has fulfilled only 46.7 percent of its financial obligations, while our enterprise has reached some 70 percent of its target on supplying cement to the Sangtuda-1 station.”
The Tojikcement official noted that the cement plant now works primarily for the OJSC Sangtuda-1 HPS. “We realize our products at very low price, while their side does not pay for cement at the proper time,” said Haqnazarova, “Therefore, the plant is incurring serious losses and this makes us raise the cement prices.”
According to her, all complaints of administration of the Sangtuda-1 HPS about supply delays are absolutely unfounded. “Thereby, they just try to shift off the responsibility for backlog of work on to us,” the Tojikcement deputy director said.
In the meantime, Rakhmetulla Alzhanov, the director general of OJSC Sangtuda-1 HPS, told Asia-Plus Saturday morning that situation on the site remains critical. “We have only 1,900 tons of cement in our storages,” said Alzhanov, “They did not supply cement today and yesterday. They also did not supply cement on September 7, 8 and 9.”
According to him, the Tojikcement administration informed them Saturday morning that they had sent 600 tons of cement to the site. “We will wait,” said the director general.
He further added that the work is still carried out according to the schedule and despite all difficulties, they will put the facility into operation by the date fixed – December 22.
We will recall that the Alzhanov Friday sent a letter to Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov, noting that a critical situation has formed on the site for construction of the Sangtuda-1 power plant as the Dushanbe cement plant has suspended cement supplies to the site.
“The cement plant today [September 14] suspended supplies to the site and if urgent measures are not taken the construction work will be suspended,” the letter said, noting that as of September 14, reserves of cement on the site have amounted to only 2,058 tons.
In his letter, the director general also noted that the Dushanbe cement plant now owes more than $6 million to the company. Alzhanov solicited Tajik PM to hold an urgent meeting on this subject.
