Residents of Tashkent may start paying more for heating and hot water in the coming years. On August 12, at a meeting of the city council of people’s deputies, Veolia Energy Tashkent CEO Sevara Pardaeva provided detailed information on the matter, Gazeta.uz reported.
Reduction of subsidies and changes in tariff policy
According to Pardaeva, currently the capital’s residents pay only 18% of the basic tariff, with the remainder covered by the city budget in the form of subsidies. The government plans to completely eliminate these subsidies by 2030. Veolia aims to reach full 100% payment by consumers within the next five years.
When the public-private partnership program was signed in 2019, it envisioned annual price increases of at least 30%. In practice, the process only began in 2022. In 2024, for the first time, tariffs rose by almost 30%, while in the previous year, there were two separate 15% increases.
New increases in 2025
Under the proposal, starting from October 1, 2025, household tariffs may rise by another 15%. For example, for residents of apartment buildings, the current rate of 121,617 UZS/Gcal (excluding VAT) could increase to 139,000 UZS.
Pardaeva also criticized the gap between tariffs for legal entities and state enterprises. She noted that currently state entities pay 801,000 UZS per gigacalorie, while private legal entities pay only 241,000 UZS — a disparity that effectively shifts the burden to the public through the state budget.
Sharp changes for legal entities
Last year, the company proposed raising tariffs for legal entities by 50%, but this was limited to 15%, resulting in losses of around 75 billion UZS for the year. This year’s proposal suggests a 40% increase for legal entities and 19% for state enterprises. If approved, the rate for legal entities will rise to 342,300 UZS, and for budgetary organizations — to 954,300 UZS.
Conclusion
If these proposals are accepted, heating and hot water prices in Tashkent will gradually rise, and both households and businesses will face significantly higher payments. Officials consider this a necessary step to align with market mechanisms and reduce the burden on the budget, but for residents, it will mean new financial challenges.
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