Energy crisis sharpens
The life of ordinary citizens in Tajikistan is getting even worse. In addition to current energy crisis, prices for the scarce electricity was increased by 20 percent and for the gas almost by 50 percent. It is happening during the winter time when the population is experiencing a great shortage of energy to heat houses and cook food. The announcement about the sharp rise in prices of electricity and gas was recently made by the local monopolist energy companies TojikGaz (gas) and Barqi Tojik (electricity).
Both of them have strong justifications for their actions.
TojikGaz alludes to Uzbekistan:
As of 2008, Tashkent raised prices of gas for Tajik consumers from 100 to 145 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres.
And Barqi Tojik alludes to the World Bank:
Representatives of Barki Tojik explained the undertaken measures by the demand of the World Bank and the necessity of returning external investments made in the construction of hydroenergy facilities that are being erected in the republic.
It is also interesting to know that according to AsiaPlus (rus), the big companies such as Talco (the biggest aluminum company), Tajik Azot, and Tajik Cement will pay almost 10 USD less for each thousand cubic meter than the population.
on January 11th, 2008 at 6:19 am
Although much of Dushanbe has been without electricity, water and gas supplies these past three days, it seems that much of Tajikistan’s electricity is going to the every-hungry and power-greedy aluminium plant at Tursunzade, in the west of the country. What we don’t know is where are the US $500m 2007 profits from that facility going. I think this money is NOT being used to finance more electricity infrastructure for the population, nor to improve domestic gas supplies.