Tajik Energy Giant Urges Government to Double Electricity Price

Excerpt from report by privately-owned Tajik Avesta website on 25 April

Dushanbe, 25 April: The Barq-i Tojik [Tajik Electricity] open joint-stock holding company has suggested to the Tajik government that the tariffs on electricity should be doubled, the head of the energy holding [company], Sharifkhon Samiyev, has told journalists at a news conference.

He said that currently, 1 kWh of electricity costs 3.2 dirams [about one cent] in Tajikistan.

“Such a low price for electricity does not attract investors. We had to appeal to the government, and if it helps us, the people will pay for 1 kWh of electricity twice more, i.e. 6.4 dirams,” Samiyev noted.

[Passage omitted: water level in the Norak reservoir is below the norm]

Originally published by Avesta website, Dushanbe, in Russian 1220 25 Apr 08.

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