DUSHANBE, October 13, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Uzbekistan is not going to quit Central Asia’s power system, Uzbek state-run joint-stock company Uzbekenergo stated yesterday, according to Kazakhstan’s news agency Kaz TAG.

The Uzbekenergo representative said that the Uzbek side had notified relevant bodies of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan that it intended to discuss changes to the terms of transit of electricity to Kyrgyzstan via Uzbek power systems.  “We want to impose payment for transit of electricity to Kyrgyzstan; earlier, power deliveries to Kyrgyzstan [via Uzbek power systems] had been considered power interchange and had been free,” the Uzbekenergo representative said.

We will recall that some media in late September reported that Uzbekistan allegedly intend to quit the Central Asian common power system.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Tajik MP Shodi Shabdolov, who is power engineering specialist, said on October 1 that Uzbekistan’s intention to quit the Central Asian common power system is unrealizable.  According to him, this is unrealizable for technical and economic reasons.  “Most likely, Uzbekistan has made this statement for the purpose of raising rates of its electricity and transit fees for supplying electricity via its power systems,” Shabdolov said.

He also added that it could not be ruled that the statement was also politically motivated.  “All know Uzbekistan’s attitude to construction of large hydropower facilities in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and most likely, this statement released through media is another instrument of Uzbeks to make pressure n their neighbors,” the expert said.