DUSHANBE, August 19, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Most likely natural gas will not be supplied to residential customers any more until the end of this year, Shavkat Shoimov, the deputy director of Tajik natural-gas distributor, Tajiktransgaz, told Asia-Plus today.

According to him, Uzbekistan has raised natural-gas rates for Tajikistan from 239.00 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters in the second quarter of this year to 251.00 U.S. dollars in the third quarter.  “In the first quarter f 2010, the price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas was 209.00 U.S. dollars,” Shoimov said.

He added that population had refused natural-gas supplies.  “Many districts have officially refused natural-gas supplies, noting that using electric power is more acceptable for them.”

As far as industrial enterprises are concerned, they are continuing to receive natural gas from Uzbekistan, though Uztransgaz has reduced gas shipments to Tajikistan to 15,000 cubic meters per day.  “Uzbekistan has cut gas shipments to Tajikistan due to debts,” said Shoimov, “Tojiktrangaz now owes not more than 500,000 U.S. dollars to Uzbekistan.”       

We will recall that Tajikistan was supposed to buy 250 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan this year.  The gas prices vary quarterly depending on the world trends and Tajikistan must make prepayments every ten days.