Electricity tariffs slightly raised in Uzbekistan – Jamshid Kuchkarov (video)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Jamshid Kuchkarov announced that electricity prices in Uzbekistan have been slightly increased. He made the statement on June 3 during a session of the Legislative Chamber, which discussed the implementation of the State Budget.

According to the minister, Uzbekistan currently has 7.6 million electricity consumers, with 70 percent of them using up to 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month.

Kuchkarov emphasized that despite the modest tariff increase, the government has taken social protection into account. For instance, if a low-income family's monthly income is less than 1 million soums per person, the cost of electricity usage up to 200 kWh will remain within the basic tariff norms.

"There is no major concern regarding the tariff hike," Kuchkarov stated. "If a household consumes 300 kWh per month, their payment will increase by just 20,000 soums—from 180,000 soums to 200,000 soums. To put this in context, the average mobile phone bill per person is at least 35,000 soums, and most families have three phones. So even with the minor rise in electricity costs, we are continuing to address issues of social assistance."

He also clarified that households consuming 500 kWh of electricity monthly will continue to pay the same amount as before.

“The tariff for electricity usage up to 200 kWh has increased from 450 soums to 600 soums. As a result, consumers will pay approximately 30,000 soums more. However, for usage between 201 and 500 kWh, the rate has been reduced from 900 soums to 800 soums. For example, if a household consumes 500 kWh in a month, their total bill will remain unchanged—360,000 soums,” he said.

As previously reported, the new energy tariffs came into effect on May 1. Under the revised pricing system:

- The base tariff for usage up to 200 kWh increased -rom 450 to 600 soums.
- The tariff for consumption between 201 and 500 kWh was reduced from 900 to 800 soums.
- For usage between 501 and 1,000 kWh, the rate increased from 900 to 1,000 soums.

In his speech, Kuchkarov also addressed the issue of Uzbekistan's external debt. He noted that ensuring economic security requires developing and maintaining internal infrastructure and sustaining economic growth. For these purposes, external borrowing is a necessity and, in his view, "nothing to be ashamed of."