DUSHANBE, January 23, Asia-Plus — Speaking to journalists in Dushanbe on January 22, Sharifkhon Samiyev, head of Tajik state-controlled energy company Barqi Tojik, said that the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power station (HPS), which was launched on january 20, is expected to work at some 60 percent of its rated capacity of 167.5 megawatt tomorrow.
According to him, top managers of open join-stock company (OJSC) Sangtuda HPS-1, which is constructing the station, have promised that the unit will generate up to 2.4 million kWh of electricity per day starting on January 24.
Asked about the price for electricity generated by the Sangtuda-1 plant, the Barqi Tojik head said that the rates had already been set. “We have signed an appropriate agreement,” said Samiyev, “Under this agreement Tajikistan will purchase electrical power generated by the Sangtuda-1 at the rte of 0.8 cent per one kWh through September this year, and starting on October 1, the price for one kWh of the Sangtuda-1 electricity will rise to 3.1 cents.”
We will recall that electricity prices have risen by some 20 percent this month. Under new electricity rates introduced with effect from January 1, residential consumers now pay 3.2 dirams per one kWh of electrical power. The new prices are 5.3 dirams against the previous 4.4 dirams for industrial enterprises, 9.3 dirams (7.7 dirams) for agricultural enterprises, except dairy and poultry farms, 2.9 dirams (2.4 dirams) for institutions funded from the budget, and 9.3 dirams (7.7 dirams) for commercial enterprises. According to specialists from Barqi Tojik, the average price of one kWh of electricity is expected to reach 2.5 cents (equivalent to 8.6 dirams) by 2010.
Russia’s Unified Energy Systems (RAO YeES) has spent approximately $500 million to build Sangtuda-1, and the Russian entity retains a 75 percent share in the power plant, which will generate a projected 2.7 billion kWh of electricity per annum. The power station will have an estimated capacity of 670 MW.
