DUSHANBE, January 14, 2009, Asia-Plus — It is already the fourth day that chairman of Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding Sharifkhon Samiyev heading Tajik delegation has been in Tashkent to negotiate transit of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems, Abdullo Qurbonov, head of the energy policy department within the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
However, he said that he did not know details of the negations. Representatives of Barqi Tojik also failed to give any coherent answer.
Asia-Plus yesterday afternoon get in touch by telephone with Uzbekenergo (Uzbek power systems) to know about the course of the electricity transit negotiations. They refused to give any details.
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.
