DUSHANBE, March 12, 2012, Asia-Plus — The upcoming rise in electricity prices is expected to be not so sensible for vulnerable families in Tajikistan as the government will provide certain communal services’ subsidies to them, an official source at Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan), told Asia-Plus Monday afternoon.
According to him, under a memorandum signed by the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank in 2006 electricity prices must be raised by some 40 percent per year.
We will recall that Tajikistan”s government has approved more than 20 percent increase in the price of electricity for residential customers — from current 9 to 11 dirams beginning on April 1.
Electricity prices will rise from 21.2 to 26.63 dirams for industrial enterprises, from 8.5 to 10.63 dirams for federally funded institutions and public utilities, and from 0.57 to 1.88 dirams for pump stations, irrigation wells and electrical transportation.
Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik, says the new tariffs were set in accordance with Article 51 of the RT Law “On the Standard Legal Acts.” Price hikes were also introduced to ensure implementation of the program of strategy of reforms in the energy sector and to make the country”s hydroelectric power sector more attractive to investors, he added.
We will recall that for the last time, the electricity prices in Tajikistan were raised in January of 2010.
