Poverty and Social Impact Assessment
households outside of Dushanbe, Khujand, and a few other cities.
Information from the Ministry of Energy and Industry suggests that Tajikistan
Table 4.14—Tajikistan: Coal production (thousand tons)
Production
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
47
93
99
105
181
199
176
Source: Statistical Yearbook of Tajikistan, 2010.
Oil. While Tajikistan’s crude oil reserves are estimated at 117 million tons, most are located deep underground; their exploitation is not seen as commercially viable. Tajikistan’s annual crude oil production levels have declined since 1992, when 1,311 barrels/day were produced. The 1992-1997 civil war, the country’s macroeconomic troubles, and a lack of investment in the oil infrastructure have contributed to this decline. In July 2001, Tajikistan brought its first small oil refinery online at Konibodom. The refinery has a capacity of 400 barrels per day, and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and fuel oil.161 However, as with gas, almost all of Tajikistan’s oil and refined products are imported. Whereas most gas imports come from Uzbekistan, most oil and refined product imports come from Russia.
Coal. Competition and private ownership play more important roles in Tajikistan’s coal sector than they do in oil and gas. Some 14 commercial enterprises, including joint ventures with foreign companies, are engaged in coal production and distribution. In principle, the state’s role is limited to enforcing environmental and safety regulations, promoting technological progress, and supporting the development of the associated road and rail transport systems.
has over 40 coalfields with confirmed reserves of 15.3 billion tons—an estimated 41 percent of Central Asia’s total coal reserves.162 Retail prices have been liberalized and are now close to international prices (see Figure 4.11). At the end of the Soviet period, Tajikistan’s annual coal consumption was some 1.5 million tons, of which over 1.0 million tons were supplied domestically. Coal production fell sharply after the collapse of the Soviet Union; and while output has increased significantly in the last decade, it remains a fraction (20 percent) of pre-civil war levels (see Table 4.14). Figure 4.11—Retail prices for hard coal in Tajikista, and the European Union (per ton)
$160 $140 $120 $100 $80 $60 $40 $20 $0 2007
average price Tajikistan
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/centralasi a/tajik-energy.htm
144
2009
2010
market price EU
Source: MOEI for Tajikistan, BP Statistics for EU.
The government is considering projects to boost electricity output by collocating coalfired power plants with coal fields. (The Fon Yaghnob, Nazar Ailok, and Shurob mines are 162
161
2008
Press release, Third International Tajikistan Exhibition, "Mountainous Equipment, Enrichment and Extraction of Ores and Minerals," Dushanbe, September 18-20, 2008