DUSHANBE, July 24, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Deputy Minister of Energy and Industries, Akram Sulaymonov, revealed on July 23 that Barqi Tojik power holding (Tajik electricity supplier) now owes 120 million somoni (equivalent to more than 27 million U.S. dollars) to open joint-stock company, Sangtudinskaya GES-1, which operated the Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant.

According to him, Barqi Tojik now faces difficult financial situation as electricity consumers now owe 572 million somoni to the company.  “The Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (LRWR) alone now owes 142 million somoni to Barqi Tojik and the public electricity debts have received 179 million somoni to this day,” said the deputy minister, “The remainder is debts of large enterprises and agrarian sector.”

The issue of repayment of Barqi Tojik’s debt to Sangtudinskaya GES-1 is being solved gradually as consumers’ debts to the power holding are being repaid, Sulaymonov added.