Beginning on September 1, residential customers will pay for electricity at the rate of 22.66 dirams per one kWh. The Antimonopoly Agency says the electricity rates are raised in order to stabilize the financial state of Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s state-owned power utility company).
“The financial state of Barqi Tojik requires improvement and current electricity rates are not sufficient to cover the Barqi Tojik’s expenditures,” Nazar Odinazoda, the deputy head of the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan told reporters in Dushanbe on July 17.
The funds that were allocated by international financial institutions to support Barqi Tojik should be covered by consumers but not the national budget,” Odinazoda stated.
According to him, it has been done in accordance of the proposal of Barqi Tojik and the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources.
It is to be noted that Tajikistan’s power utility company is now in a difficult financial state. As of January 1, 2019, Barqi Tojik’s total debts reportedly amounted to 23.1 billion somoni (equivalent to some 2.5 billion U.S. dollars).
Asked why tariffs for the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) have remained unchanged, the antimonopoly official said, “This is government policy. There is a special government program for the Tajik aluminum smelter and tariffs for it are set in accordance with this program.”
Recall, Tajikistan is expected to raise electricity rates on September 1 this year. Electricity rates for residential customers will rise nearly 17 percent.
In accordance with decree issued by the government on June 22 this year, residential customers will pay for electricity at the rate of 22.66 dirams (value added tax included) beginning on September 1 this year.
Electricity rates will rise for all categories of electricity consumers, with the exception of the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO). Thus, electricity rates for residential customers will rise nearly 17 percent.
Beginning on September 1, 2019, prices for one kWh of electricity will be 22.66 dirams for residential customers (nearly 17 percent increase), 55.14 dirams for industrial and non-industrial customers, and 22.66 dirams for federally funded institutions, including public utilities and sports complexes,
Electricity rates for pumping stations for mechanized irrigation and repair-and-production bases of the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation under the Government of Tajikistan will rise to 7.86 dirams for the period from April 1 to September 30 and to 22.66 dirams for the period from October 1 to March 31. The price of one KWh of electricity for vertical drainage wells and land reclamation pumping stations will be raised to 7.87 dirams.
Electricity rates for electric boilers, hot water supply and heating system will rise to 136.62 dirams for non-federal sphere and to 40.37 dirams for federally funded institutions.
Beginning on September 1, 2019, the Tajik metallurgical plant will pay for one kWh of electricity 9.68 dirams during the period from April 1 to September 30 and 55.14 dirams during the period from October 1 to March 31.
Meanwhile, prices for the Tajik Aluminum Plant (TALCO), which is the largest electricity consumer in the country, will remain unchanged – 7.20 dirams for period from May 1 to September 30 and 11.80 dirams for the period from October 1 to April 30.
Tajikistan raises electricity rates practically every year. For the last time, Tajikistan raised electricity rates on November 1, 2017.
