DUSHANBE, January 19, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Prices for natural gas imported from Uzbekistan have been inconsiderably lowered this year.

According to Tojiktransgaz (Tajik natural-gas distributor), current prices of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas are 1,327 somoni (equivalent to US$301.39) for enterprises and 1,291 somoni (equivalent to US$293.21) for other Tajik gas-distribution enterprises that buy gas from Tojiktransgaz.

These prices are set for the first quarter of this year.  We will recall that in 2010, enterprises received natural gas at the rate of US$306.00 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reached an agreement on price for natural gas for the first quarter of 2011 during negotiations that were conducted in Tashkent at the end of December.  The sides agreed that in the first quarter of 2011, Tajikistan will receive Uzbek natural gas at the rate of US$227.85 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Last year, an average price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek natural gas for Tajikistan was US$240.00.  In the first quarter of 2010, the price of 1,000 cubic meters of Uzbek gas was US$231.00 and in the fourth quarter, it rose to US$254.00.

This year, Tajikistan plans to buy some 180 million cubic meters of natural gas from Uzbekistan.  The gas prices vary quarterly depending on the world trends and Tajikistan must make prepayments every ten days.