Tajikistan Eyes More Uzbek Gas
Tajikistan is negotiating with Uzbekistan to increase gas import by 43% year-on-year to 200mn m3 in 2020, Tajiktransgas deputy CEO Shavkat Shoimzoda told local Asia-Plus on January 29. Uzbekistan resumed gas supplies to Tajikistan, suspended since 2012, through the Muzrabad-Dushanbe main gas pipeline in April 2018.
In 2018 the import volume was 55mn m3, but reached 140mn last year, worth $17.7mn worth. The majority of imports are used in Tajik Aluminum Plant (Talco) and Dushanbe thermal power plant.
Tajikistan also resumed electricity export to Uzbekistan after 9-year gap in April 2018. Local media reported that Tajikistan would export at least 1.5 TW/yr to Uzbekistan at $0.025/kWh.
The sides also discussed building a $282mn, 140-MW hydro plant on the River Zerafshan, Uzbekistan announced the sme day, and another at similar cost on the River Fon-Darya. Uzbek gas production fell last year by 1.6% to 59.46bn m3.
Exports in 2018 added up to 13bn m3, but last year it hoped to reach at least 15bn m³: 8bn m3 to China, 4.5bn m3 to Russia and 2.5bn m3 to Kazakhstan.