DUSHANBE, August 7, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- As of July 31, 2009, residential customers owed more than 93 million somoni (TJS) to Barqi Tojik power holding for consumed electricity.

According to Barqi Tojik, among the most incorrigible nonpayers are the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (LRWR) and Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco).  “LRWR now owes 110.7 million somoni to Barqi Tojik and the Talco electricity debts amount to 104 million somoni,” said the source.  “Since our customers have failed to repay their debts in time, we cannot repay our debts to the hydroelectric power plant (HPP) Sangtuda-1 and Tojiktransgaz (Tajik state natural-gas distributor).”

Barqi Tojik now owes more than 32 million somoni to Tojiktransgaz, he said.  On the debt to Sangtuda-1, the source said that the government had worked out and coordinated with the foreign shareholder the schedule of gradual repayment of the debt.  Tajik Barqi Tojik is scheduled to settle this debt by the end of this year.

We will recall that in late July, the government endorsed a 25 percent increase in electricity prices.  Since August 1, residential customers have paid for electricity at the rate of 7.5 dirams per one kWh.  Besides, current prices are 12.5 dirams for federally funded institutions, 17.1 dirams for industrial enterprises (Talco pays at the rate of 6.7 dirams per kWh), and 42.1 dirams for commercial enterprises.

It was the second electricity price rise in the country this year.  The first 25 percent rice in electricity prices was introduced in Tajikistan at the beginning of the year.