DUSHANBE, June 16, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Uzbekistan has halved natural-gas shipments to Tajikistan due to the roughly $17 million in arrears that open joint-stock company Tojiktransgaz (Tajik state natural-gas distributor) now owes to Uzbekistan, the deputy director of Tojiktransgaz, Shavkat Shoimov, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, representative of Tojiktransgaz in Tashkent has managed to persuade Uztransgaz’s managers not to halt natural-gas supplies to Tajikistan.  “We have agreed that Uzbekistan will just halve gas shipments to Tajikistan,” Shoimov said.

We will recall that in a telephone message, sent to Tojiktransgaz on June 10, Uztransgaz warned Tajikistan of gas supplies cutoff.  The message noted that Uzbekistan’s natural-gas supplies to Tajikistan could be halted on June 15 because of outstanding payments owed by Tojiktransgaz.

“If before June 15, Tajikistan had received 12,000 cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan per day, now we receive only 6,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas per day,” Shoimov said, noting that that volume was enough to meet requirements of Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) only.

He added that to ensure regular work of the country’s economy and properly provision of residential customers with natural gas Tajikistan needed more than 100,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day.

“We do not have money to pay of our debt to Uztransgaz because our debtors have not repaid their debts,” said Shoimov, “Among the most incorrigible nonpayers are Barqi Tojik power holding that now owes $9.6 million, Tojikcement ($2.3 million), Somonsughdgaz ($2.2 million), and Sughd-based empties-producing enterprise, Lal ($1.1 million).  Talco currently owes some $700,000 to Tojiktransgaz.”