DUSHANBE, December 18, Asia-Plus — Introduction of the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 power plant into operation will probably be postponed.
Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman fro Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding, said that introduction of the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectricity power station (HPS), scheduled for December 21, will probably be postponed until late December, due to some technical problems. He refrained fro giving further details of the problems causing postponement.
Before that, the country’s energy authorities had repeatedly noted that the work on construction of the Sangtuda-1 power plant is carried out in accordance with schedule and the first unit will be introduced into operation on December 21.
Asia-Plus has failed to get information about the postponement and the new date of introduction of the first unit of the plant into operation from top managers of open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtuda-1 HPS, which is constructing the facility.
As it had been reported earlier, the first generator with capacity of 220 kW was supposed to be put into operation by a Day of Power Engineering Specialists, which is marked in Tajikistan on December 22.
We will recall that Russia’s Unified Energy Systems (RAO YeES) is spending 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 – enough to meet Tajikistan’s domestic needs and allow for the export of electricity, namely to Afghanistan.
