DUSHANBE, April 30, 2014, Asia-Plus -- The antimonopoly agency has submitted proposal on raising electricity prices for consideration to the government.

Saydali Zardakov, an official with the antimonopoly agency, stated this in Dushanbe today at a conference on providing energy security of Tajikistan.

“A special working group has worked on this issue since January and the proposal on raising electricity prices has been submitted for consideration to the government,” Zardakov said.

He pointed to the necessity of gradually raising rates in order to make the energy sector profitable and recoup investments being made to build hydropower plants and power transmission lines.      

Zardakov noted that Tajikistan has the lowest electricity prices among the CIS nations.  “In Uzbekistan, an average price of one kWh of electricity is currently 5.06 cents, in Russia – 7.1 cents, in Azerbaijan – 7.64 cents, in Armenia – 6.41 cents, in Belarus – 11.6 cents, in Moldova – 12.58 cents, and in Ukraine – 7.01 cents,” said Tajik antimonopoly official.  “In Tajikistan, current average price for one kWh of electricity is 1.83 cents.”

For the last time, Tajikistan raised electricity prices in April 2012. 

Current electricity prices are 11 dirams for residential customers, 26.63 dirams for industrial and non-industrial enterprises, 10.63 dirams for federally funded institutions, electrical transport, public utilities and sports complexes, and 1.88 dirams for reclamation vertical wells and water pumping stations.