DUSHANBE, February 6, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Further rise in electricity rates may become critical for the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO), Igor Sattarov, a spokesman for TALCO, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on February 5.

According to him, TALCO is Tajikistan’s largest electricity consumer.  “It has consumed some 27 percent of the country’s electrical power annually in recent years,” Sattarov said, noting since 2005, the company has paid more than 2.4 billion somoni to Barqi Tojik (Tajik electricity supplier).

He stressed that the company consumed nearly 339.4 million somoni worth of electricity last year but paid for it 340.7 million somoni, 0.4 percent more.

The spokesman noted that the electricity rate for TALCO has increased more than four times in recent seven years.  “Further rise in electricity rates against a background of the global crisis and instable economies of the partner countries may become critical for TALCO,” Sattarov said.

We will recall that in a report released in Dushanbe, Barqi Tojik top manager Abdullo Yorov noted on January 29 that TALCO is among Tajikistan’s big electricity debtors.  TALCO now owes some 25 million somoni () equivalent to more than 5.2 million USD) to Barqi Tojik.

According to him, TALCO now pays only 5 dirams per one kWh of electricity during spring-summer period and 8 dirams per one kWh during autumn-winter period.