DUSHANBE, October 28, 2013, Asia-Plus — As of October 1, 2013, Barqi Tojik power holding (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) owed more than 388 million somoni (equivalent to 81.4 million USD) to open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtudinskaya GES-1 that operates the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP), according to OJSC Sangtudinskaya GES-1.
In April-September this year, the station has reportedly generated 871.4 million kWh of electrical power, which was 29 percent more than in the same period last year. An average daily generation over the report period has been 4.8 million kWh.
In all, the Sangtuda-1 HPP has reportedly generated more than 10 billion kWh of electricity since January, 2008, when the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 HPP was introduced into operation.
“The debt repayment situation remains complex though Sangtudinskaya GES-1 is carrying out work to solve the debt issue,” a statement released by Sangtudinskaya GES-1 said.
According to Sangtudinskaya GES-1, Barqi Tojik every month transfers 10 million somoni to its account, “but this amount is not enough to clear Barqi Tojik’s debts.”
We will recall that the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 HPP was introduced into operation on January 20, 2008 and Tajik and Russian presidents officially unveiled the fourth and last unit of the Sangtuda-1 HPP on July 31, 2009.
The construction of the Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant located some 110 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe began in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, only 20% of the construction work had been completed, and further construction was suspended due to a civil war that broke out in Tajikistan in the early 1990s. The talks between Russia and Tajikistan on completing the construction of the Sangtuda-1 HPP began in 2003 and in 2004 the parties signed an inter-governmental agreement.
Russian-Tajik OJSC Sangtudinskaya GES-1 was established to complete the construction of the Santuda-1 power plant. Russia’s Inter RAO YeES and the Ministry of Energy and Industries of Tajikistan signed an agreement on the establishment of the company in Dushanbe on February 16, 2005.
Russia owns 75% percent of the shares minus one share and Tajikistan assumes the 25% ownership interest plus one share in Sangtudinskaya GES-1.
