In the past year, the debt of the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) for electricity increased by nearly 220 million somonis (US$20.2 million), or 62%, reaching 571.5 million somonis (US$52.6 million) by January 1, 2025.

This was reported on February 11 during a news conference by Muhammad Ghulomzoda, a representative of OJSC Distribution Electric Networks.

According to Ghulomzoda, this amount includes not only the accumulated debt but also current electricity consumption payments, which average 25 million somonis (US$2.3 million) per month.  However, Ghulomzoda did not specify how much the company had paid in 2024.

How much electricity does TALCO consume?

In an August 2024 news conference, Ghulomzoda stated that in July, TALCO had paid 90 million somonis following several rounds of negotiations.  At that time, an agreement was reached for a monthly payment of 35 million somonis.

He also mentioned that TALCO consumes an average of 5.7 million kWh of electricity per day, which accounts for about 10% of the total electricity produced in the country.

Why are the details of the lawsuit not Being disclosed?

The representative of the Distribution Electric Networks declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit against TALCO for an amount of US$37 million and stated that he was not aware of the status of the case.

However, in August 2024, he had promised to provide this information to Asia-Plus in the coming days.

Earlier, Rustam Mirzozoda, the former Chairman of the High Economic Court of Tajikistan, reported that Distribution Electric Networks had filed a lawsuit against TALCO, demanding the payment of US$37 million in overdue electricity debts.

According to his information, the debt was accumulated in 2020, but TALCO refused to acknowledge the full amount, claiming that the calculations were incorrect.

TALCO's debt and dispute with Barqi Tojik

The disputes between Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan's state-run electricity provider) and TALCO over electricity debt have been ongoing since early 2020.

In the summer of that year, the management of Barqi Tojik announced that TALCO's debt for electricity amounted to 415 million somonis (US$39.2 million at the National Bank's exchange rate at that time).

In response, TALCO rejected these allegations, stating that “over the last five years, it has paid not only the full amount for electricity but also more than necessary.”

As of January 2024, TALCO's debt was over 351.7 million somonis (US$32.2 million).  TALCO receives electricity at a preferential tariff, which is significantly lower than the tariffs for other industrial enterprises and households:

·         Current electricity rate for TALCO is 18.6 dirams per 1 kWh;

·         Current electricity rate for other industrial enterprises is 70.35 dirams per 1 kWh;

·         Current electricity rate for residential customers is 30.75 dirams per 1 kWh.