DUSHANBE, July 1, 2010, Asia-Plus — Tojiktransgaz (Tajik state natural-gas distributor) now owes 1.1 million U.S. dollars in arrears to the Uzbek natural-gas supplier, Uztransgaz, Shavkat Shoimov, the deputy director of Tojiktransgaz, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
“Uzbekistan ten days ago reduced gas shipments to Tajikistan due the debt and Tajikistan now receives 500,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas per day,” Shoimov said, adding that three large Tajik enterprises now owe some 1.6 million U.S. dollars to Tojiktransgaz.
According to him, the empties production plant, Lal, owes 1 million U.S. dollars, Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant) owes 350,000 U.S. dollars and Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) now owes 250,000 U.S. dollars to Tojiktransgaz.
Since the beginning of this year, Tajikistan has imported 90 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan, Shoimov said.
We will recall that Tajikistan will buy 250 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan this year and the gas price vary quarterly depending on the world trends. Uzbekistan still set gas price for Tajikistan at the rate of 240 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters and Tajikistan must make prepayments every ten days. In the meantime, Tajikistan’s annual requirements in natural gas are some 2 billion cubic meters.
