DUSHANBE, February 1, 2013, Asia-Plus — Barqi Tojik (Tajik state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity) is not going to initiate further rise in electricity prices this year, Barqi Tojik top manager Abdullo Yorov told journalists on January 29.
According to him, they will try to improve the financial situation of Barqi Tojik through collecting debts. “There ought to seek a mechanism for collecting debts from the most incorrigible nonpayers, for example the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (LRWR), which now owes more than 215 million somoni (equivalent to more than 45 million USD) to Barqi Tojik,” said Yorov. “The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is also among the big electricity debtors, while it pays only 5 dirams per one kWh of electricity during spring-summer period and 8 dirams per one kWh during autumn-winter period. The aluminum company now owes some 25 million somoni to Barqi Tojik.”
Residential customers’ electricity debts now reportedly amount to 316 million somoni (equivalent to more than 66 million USD).
For the last time, the electricity prices were raised in Tajikistan in March last year. The government approved 25 percent increase in electricity prices beginning on April 1, 2012. Before that, the Tajik authorities raised electricity in January 2010 while usually, Tajikistan raised electricity prices by 20 percent twice a year in order to make the energy sector profitable.
Current prices of one kWh of electricity are 11 dirams for residential customers, 26.63 dirams for industrial and non-industrial enterprises, 10.63 dirams for federally funded institutions and public utilities, and 1.88 dirams for pump stations and electrical transportation.
Electricity pricing varies widely from country to country, and may vary significantly from locality to locality within a particular country. There are many reasons that account for these differences in price. The price of power generation depends largely on the type and market price of the fuel used, government
