DUSHANBE, January 24, 2013, Asia-Plus — Minister of Energy and Industries Gul Sherali told journalists on January 23 that the issue of delivery of natural gas from Uzbekistan has not yet been solved but Tajikistan is continuing negotiations on Uzbek natural gas deliveries.
“Tojiktransgaz (Tajik natural-gas distributor) and Uzbektransgaz (Uzbek natural-gas supplier) are currently carrying out the negotiations, but so far they have not yielded any results and Uzbekistan does not clarify its position,” the minister said.
Gul Sherali considers that coal gasification could be an alternative to natural gas. Generators for gasification of coal have been installed at the aluminum smelter and similar equipment will be installed at the Dushanbe cement plant, the minister noted.
We will recall that Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov on December 25 sent a letter to Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyayev asking to help solve the natural gas shipment problem. Tajik PM reportedly noted in his letter that Tajikistan’s annual requirements in natural gas are 200 million cubic meters.
The main consumers of Uzbek gas in Tajikistan are now the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) and Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement plant). Current price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas for them is 380.00 U.S. dollars.
As far as the residential customers are concerned, more than 90 percent of them have not received natural gas since 2009 because of high prices.
Uzbek natural gas prices vary quarterly depending on the world trends and Tajikistan must make prepayments every ten days.
In 2010, an average price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas for Tajikistan was US$240.00; in the first quarter of 2010, the price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas was US$231.00 and in the fourth quarter, it rose to US$254.00.
In the first quarter of 2011, Tajikistan bought natural gas from Uzbekistan at US$227.85 per 1,000 cubic meters, while the price for the second quarter was US$249.19 per 1,000 cubic meters. In the third quarter, Tajikistan bought natural gas from Uzbekistan at US$284.33 per 1,000 cubic meters and the price for the fourth quarter was US$311.00.
Last year, an average price for 1000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas in Tajikistan was 300.00 U.S. dollars.
Uzbekistan suspended gas deliveries via pipeline to Tajikistan on December 31 after both sides failed to agree on gas prices following the expiration of their contract.
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan”s only supplier of gas, routinely suspends gas deliveries to its neighbor amid complaints of nonpayment.
