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Tajikistan may resume gas imports from Uzbekistan

Oil&Gas Materials 21 November 2017 18:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.21

By NIgar Guliyeva - Trend:

Tajikistan plans to restore the supply of natural gas from Uzbekistan since early next year, Asia Plus reported.

The supplies were halted five years ago.

Reportedly the sides have reached agreements on certain points. Currently, the gas distribution company of Tajikistan is defining volume of demand of the country's industrial enterprises in "blue fuel".

The first round of talks on the resumption of natural gas supplies between JSC "Tajiktransgaz" and JSC "Uztransgaz" was held in the framework of the Tajik-Uzbek dialogue on energy cooperation a month ago in Termez. Then, along with the "gas issue", the sides considered restoring a unified energy system in Central Asia and reciprocal electricity supplies.

In early November, representatives of the gas distribution companies of the two countries met in Tashkent, where they discussed the cost and volumes of possible supplies of Uzbek gas to Tajikistan.

During the second round of negotiations, the Uzbek side requested about $150 for each thousand cubic meters of fuel, Uzbek media outlets reported.

The sides are expected to agree on all issues by the end of the year and sign an annual contract, under which Tajikistan will again receive Uzbek gas.

The main consumers of imported natural gas from Uzbekistan until the end of supply in 2012 were "Tajik Aluminum Company" and some other industrial enterprises, including Dushanbe cement plant.

All these enterprises subsequently switched to synthesized gas, obtained from coal, or they began to use coal as their fuel. Currently there are more than 200 such enterprises throughout Tajikistan.

Uzbekistan halted the supplies of natural gas to Tajikistan in early 2012 due to the fact that it allegedly increases its exports to Russia and China. Until the 2000s, annual supplies of Uzbek gas to a neighboring country amounted to about 1 billion cubic meters.

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