The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) plans to purchase natural gas from Uzbekistan this year in the volume meeting 30 percent of the company’s requirements in this kind of fuel.
The remaining 70 percent of TACLO’s requirements in this kind of fuel will be met by syngas (synthetic gas) produced by TALCO from domestic coal.
Recall, the contract on the delivery of Uzbek natural gas to Tajikistan was signed between Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) Tojiktransgaz (Tajik state-run natural gas distributor) and Uzbekneftegaz Holding (Uzbek state-owned holding company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry) in Dushanbe on March 9 during Uzbek president’s state visit to Tajikistan.
Uzbekistan will supply some 126 million cubic meters of natural gas worth 15.1 million U.S. dollars to Tajikistan during this year.
Uzbekistan will supply natural gas to Tajikistan this year at the rate of US$120.00 per 1000 cubic meters. (the current average international price for 1000 cubic meters of natural gas is reportedly US$277.00).
TALCO notes that the price offered by Uzbekneftegaz Holding is equal to cost of syngas produced by TALCO.
As it had been reported earlier, TALCO and its affiliates signed five agreements with Uzbek companies totaling 460 million U.S. dollars in Dushanbe on March 9 on the sidelines of the Tajik-Uzbek business forum.
Thus, TALCO and Joint-Stock Company (JSC) Uzbekneftegaz signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on financing the launch of 200 electrolyzers into operation at the Tajik aluminum smelter. A total amount of the agreement, which is expected to be implemented during the period from 2018 to 2020, is 320 million USD.
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world. It consumes more than 30 percent of the country’s electrical power. TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
Construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975. THz Tajik aluminum smelter has a rated capacity of 517,000 tons of primary aluminum per year. On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.
