Tajikistan’s national integrated power company has called on residential customers to use electricity sparingly and repay their electricity debts.  Residential customers’ electricity debts reportedly near 1 billion somoni (equivalent to more than 100 million USD)  

“Residential customers’ electricity debts increased by more than 80 million somoni in a year to December 31, 2018, reaching 956 million somoni,” Mirzo Ismoilzoda, the head of Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national integrated power company), told reporters in Dushanbe on February 13.  

He called on the population to use electricity sparingly and repay their electricity debts.

Concerning the problem of electrical power theft in the country, Barqi Tojik head noted that quite a high level of electricity theft was registered in cities and districts subordinate to the center, the Bokhtar zone (Vakhsh Valley) of Khatlon province and in the Panjakent district of Sughd province.

“Cases of electricity theft in the volume of 153 million kWh were registered in the country last year and infringers were fined a total of 43 million somoni,” Ismoilzoda noted.  

In all, electricity consumers (federally funded institutions, enterprises, commercial organizations and residential customers) now owe more than 2.3 billion somoni to Barqi Tojik, Ismoilzoa added.  

Recall, the last time the cost of electricity in Tajikistan increased on November 1 last year. The  electricity prices were raised on average by 15%.  Tariffs for residential customers were raised from 16.85 diram to 19.37 diram (equivalent to 2.05 cents).