DUSHANBE, January 6, 2009, Asia-Plus — Head of Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding Sharifkhon Samiyev heading Tajik delegation departed for Tashkent today to negotiate transit of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems.
A source at Barqi Tojik said that the delegation planned to complete negotiations in two days.
As it had been reported earlier, Turkmenistan suspended electricity supplies to Tajikistan on January 1 because Tajikistan has not yet signed an electricity transit agreement with Uzbekistan.
We will recall that under the provisions of an agreement signed between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in 2007, Turkmenistan will annually supply 1.2 billion kWh of electricity to Tajikistan in autumn-winter season during the period till 2012. Turkmenistan began supplying electrical power to Tajikistan on November 1, 2008.
Turkmenistan supplies electricity to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems. An agreement on transit of Turkmen electrical power to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems was reached during a meeting of President Emomali Rahmon with his Uzbek counterpart, President Islam Karimov, in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in October 2008 on sidelines of summits of the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC). The final decision on this subject was reached in Almaty, Kazakhstan on October 18, 2008.
According to the Barqi Tojik top manager Sharifkhon Samiyev, Tajikistan pays to Turkmenistan for electricity at the rate of 3 cents per 1 kWh. Besides, Tajikistan should pay to Uzbekistan for electricity transit at the rate of 0.3 cent per 1 kWh.
