DUSHANBE, December 10, Asia-Plus -- Large industrial enterprises in Tajikistan are expected to be shifted from natural gas to coal as alternate form of fuel, Deputy Energy and Industry Minister, Zarobiddin Fayzulloyev, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.  

According to him, the government last year ordered the ministry and enterprises running on natural gas to consider the possibility of using domestic resources as alternate form of fuel to natural gas.  A primary concern is the rising prices of the imported natural gas.  Tajik official also noted that reequipment of enterprises for coal will allow improving natural-gas supplies to the public. 

“Only those enterprises will be shifted to coal that will get benefit from this,” said Fayzulloyev, “It will take a time to shift to coal because it demands conducting a feasibility study for reequipment of enterprises for alternate form of energy.” 

The deputy minister added that they today seriously consider the possibility of reequipment of the Dushanbe cement plant for coal.  According to him, the work on shifting the plant to coal may possible start already in the middle of this year.  

“On the other hand, to shift enterprises to coal Tajikistan should not have problems with extraction of coal,” said Fayzulloyev, “For this, we have to develop the existing coal deposits and increase extraction of coal.” 

Experts from the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MoEI) say that to develop the coal industry Tajikistan has to invest more than $90 million in this sector over the next four years.  Tajikistan is able to provide only 10 percent of this amount and therefore the government seeks foreign investment in development of the country’s coal industry.   

In the meantime, administration of the limited liability company Tojikiston (mini cement plant located not far away from the Dushanbe cement plant) said that they had already reached an agreement with a Chinese company on delivery of equipment for shifting their plant to coal.  “The equipment will arrive in Dushanbe within the next few days and Tajik and Chinese specialists will start work on reequipment of our plant,” the company official said.  

            According to Tajik state gas concern, Tojikgaz, industrial enterprises in the country account for some 60 percent of the imported natural gas.     

            Under the terms of the deal reached in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last December, Uzbekistan will supply natural gas to Tajikistan this year at the rate of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters.  Tajikistan is scheduled to buy 750 million cubic meters of Uzbek gas this year.