DUSHANBE, August 6, 2008, Asia-Plus — A delegation of Indian power engineering specialists is expected to arrive in Dushanbe in the near future to discuss issues related to modernization of the Varzob-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP), according to the Tajik MFA.
During their stay in Tajikistan, the Indian specialists will discuss a progress of implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on modernization of the Varzob power plant.
The MoU was signed between the Tajik Ministry of energy and Industries and the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dushanbe last year, and the Government of India has provided $13 million for implementation of this project.
The Indian specialists will discuss with the Tajik colleagues transportation of hydroturbines manufactured at Indian plants and a working schedule of replacement of them, the MFA source said.
We will recall that India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd. (NHPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) were supposed to manufacture the necessary equipment for the Varzob power plant.
Modernization will allow increasing the plant’s capacity from 3.5 MW to 9.4 MW, and after the modernization the plant is expected to serve another 50 years.
3.5 MW Varzob-1, one of three power plants of the Varzob Cascade (a total of more than 26 MW), was constructed in 1936. Varzob Cascade hydropower stations also include Varzob-2 (14.76 MW) and Varzob-3 (3.52 MW). They also need to be rehabilitated to increase utilization and efficiency.
Specialists from Barqi Tojik say that the Varzob-1 power plant has practically not been in operation over the last years and rehabilitation would include primarily the turbines, runners, substations, and ancillary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, and some piping.
In the meantime, in a report released at a press conference in Dushanbe, Samandar Boboyev, the first deputy head of Barqi Tojik power holding, revealed on April 22 that the Government of India plans to provide grant for modernization of the Varzob-2 hydropower station in Tajikistan. The preliminary amount of a grant to be provided for this project is some $7 million, Boboyev said.
