November 1 marked the beginning of electricity consumption limitations in Tajikistan. The authorities announced that from now on, the residents of the country’s cities and villages will receive no more than twelve hours of electricity in their homes. Even though limitations on energy consumption have become common practice in Tajikistan during the winter season, this year the shutdowns started earlier than usual and many residents report unequal electricity distribution. In addition, the joint stock energy holding company stated that it plans to increase tariffs on electricity in the upcoming year.
Gul Sherali, Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy, announced the beginning of the energy limitations in early November. He assured, however, that the limitations will not be applied in Dushanbe, district centers, the cities of Kulob, Nurek, Roghun, Kayrakum, Chkalovsk, Tursunzade, Sarband, and some vitally important areas in the rayon centers. At the same time, the head of the energy holding company Barki Tojik, Abdullo Yorov, stated that energy supply will be much better this year, as the water reservoirs of the Nurek and Sangtuda-1 hydropower stations are filled to the maximum. Thus, he noted that the energy deficit this year will be two billion kilowatt-hours, while last year it was four billion kilowatt-hours.
Meanwhile, energy limitations are reportedly applied unevenly in different parts of the country. Residents of various regions of the Sughd province report receiving electricity for six to ten hours per day. In the Kurgan-Tyube district of the Khatlon province people receive electricity for eight hours a day, and energy shutdowns started already in October. In the Hissar region people also receive electricity only for eight hours. Here, however, residents report about so called “special electricity lines”, to which one can get connected against a certain payment. These are normally electricity lines that provide secure energy supply for hospitals, clinics, state enterprises, etc. The availability and special privileges of such lines have caused discontent among many people in the country, as they are an immediate indicator of the unequal distribution of limited energy resources to those who can pay for them. Nevertheless, those who can afford such a connection surely do so.
In addition to the energy shortages the Tajik public suffers every winter, power engineering specialists suggest that the government increases tariffs on electricity in the upcoming year. According to Yorov, the proposed increase for the general population is twenty percent (i.e. US¢ 2.46/kilowatt-hour), and twenty five percent for special energy consumer categories like plants, industries, and state organizations.
In fact, Barki Tojik annually increases the tariffs for electricity by fifty percent, which it terms a measure for both implementing the reform program for the energy sector and promoting economic development. This strategy was developed in cooperation with international financial institutions. According to the holding company’s management, back in 2008 these international institutions recommended Tajikistan to increase its energy tariffs by up to US¢ 2.5/kilowatt-hour by the end of 2010 to make the country’s energy sector profitable and attractive to foreign investors.
This recommendation is supported by Georgiy Petrov, the head of the hydroenergy laboratory of the Institute of Water, Hydropower Engineering and Ecology of the Tajik Academy of Sciences. Petrov thinks that current tariffs should be increased by up to US¢ 3/kilowatt-hour. Furthermore, he states that due to low tariffs, the energy holding company has to take loans for its basic needs, like technologies and maintenance. The expert also notes that energy efficiency is an acute problem in Tajikistan, which should be resolved by power engineering specialists, since “for one somoni of the product five times more is spent”.
In spite of all the challenges the Tajik energy sector is currently facing, Yorov stated that “this year we will manage without energy imports, although Uzbekistan is not against providing energy supplies to our country”. However, he notes that Uzbekistan’s price at slightly over US¢ 4/kilowatt-hour is not acceptable for Tajikistan.
The energy system of Tajikistan is obviously not quite ready for the winter season this year. The fact that energy consumption limits are imposed earlier than usual is additional evidence of this, even though the management of the energy holding company claims that this year’s energy deficit is much smaller than in previous years. Another dimension of the problem is the unequal distribution of energy supply, as perceived by many residents of Tajik towns and villages.
Last but not least, the Tajik public is concerned over the planned tariff increase on electricity. Even though local experts think that a tariff increase is a reasonable and necessary measure to improve Tajikistan’s energy sector, it is very unlikely that the general population will welcome the idea as the quality and supply of electricity seemingly will not change. e controversial topics, such as the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia inside Georgia. n’s Caspian Sea neighbors acquiesced to build a pipeline on the seabed at the Caspian Summit in Baku further strengthens Turkmenistan’s position to diversify its energy export routes apart from its already existing gas pipelines to Russia, Iran, China and the envisioned TAPI to Pakistan and India.