DUSHANBE, November 2, 2013, Asia-Plus – Tajik authorities have reportedly toughened electricity rationing for rural areas.
Since November 1, they have had electricity only nine hours per day – four hours in the morning (from 5:00 am to 9:00 am) and five hours in the evening (from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm), Nozir Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan), said.
According to him, the power rationing has been toughened in order to provide stable water inflow into the reservoir powering the Norak hydroelectric power plant (HPP).
We will recall that electricity rationing was introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan on October 26 and it resulted in the supply of daily electrical power in rural areas being reduced to eighteen hours – from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Electricity rationing has not affected Dushanbe as well as the cities of Khujand, Qurghon Teppa, Kulob, Tursunzoda, and Chkalovsk.
Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and seek to curb the country”s rising electricity consumption. The rationing is introduced in October or November and lasts through March or April next year. The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 12 or 10 hours. In addition to curbing rising consumption, the move also stems from a decline in the water level in the country”s reservoirs powering the main hydroelectric power plants.
