Uzbekistan is introducing an 'exemplary consumer' status for businesses regarding electricity and natural gas. This is stipulated in amendments to the rules for the use of electricity and natural gas, approved by a presidential decree on September 22.
Non-household consumers connected to automated electricity metering and control systems and equipped with remotely controllable meters will be recognized as 'exemplary'. They must have no overdue debt, no violations of the rules for the use and metering of energy resources, and no breaches of payment discipline over the previous two months.
A special payment procedure is established for such consumers of a certain category: before the start of the billing month, they need to pay at least 15% of the consumption volume stipulated in the contract, and the remaining amount can be paid in installments during the month. The advance payment is determined automatically based on metering and billing system data — no separate application is required to obtain the status.
If funds in the personal account run out and electricity or gas supply is automatically suspended, this is not considered a violation of payment discipline. At the same time, the 'exemplary consumer' status may be lost if overdue debt arises, if data exchange with the metering system is disrupted due to the consumer's fault, or if cases of illegal use of energy resources are detected.
On August 18, during an open dialogue with entrepreneurs in the Khorezm region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced his intention to reduce the mandatory prepayment for electricity and natural gas for certain enterprises from 100% to 15%. The head of state noted then that the requirement for full prepayment for energy resources reduces businesses' working capital. According to him, the management system in the energy sector must be restructured taking into account the current needs and future plans of entrepreneurs.
The requirement for 100% prepayment for legal entities has been in effect since July 1, 2024. A similar procedure was also applied from July 2017 to February 2019, after which the mandatory advance was reduced to 50%. At the end of 2023, the Ministry of Energy explained the return to the full prepayment system by violations committed by consumers, including unauthorized connection to networks and distortion of data on consumption volumes.
The decree also changed the differentiated tariffs for electricity for large consumers in Uzbekistan. From 09:00 to 17:00, a reducing coefficient is applied for them — the tariff becomes 1.5 times cheaper. At night, the previous discount is canceled, and electricity is paid at the usual tariff.
Source: www.gazeta.uz