DUSHANBE, January 12, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has set domestic natural-gas prices for 2009.

According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT), the new gas price for residential customers has been set at some 1,060 somoni (equivalent to some 305 US dollars, based on the USD exchange rate of some 3.47 somoni), which is 54 percent higher than last year’s.

Last year’s domestic natural-gas price for residential customers was 688.15 somoni (equivalent to some 198.7 US dollars, based on the USD exchange rate of some 3.46 somoni).

As far as large industrial enterprises such as Tajik aluminum smelter, closed joint-stock company (CJSC) Tojikazot (plant for producing mineral fertilizers in Sarband, Khatlon province), Dushanbe heat and power station and Tojikcement (Dushanbe cement), they will pay for natural gas this year at the rate of 983.24 somoni (equivalent to some $283) per 1,000 cubic meters.  It is to be noted that last year, they paid 647 somoni (more than $186) for 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas.  

As it had been reported earlier, the agreement, concluded between Tajik state natural-gas distributor, Tojikgaz, and Uztransgaz, the state gas producer in Uzbekistan, on December 31 2008 sets the price of gas imports at $240 per 1,000 cubic meters, a 65.5 percent increase over last year’s price, and covers the import of some 530 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan through 2009.