Uzbekistan intends to take a number of measures to expand and strengthen the work of the so-called energy ring in Central Asia, Uzbek media reported referring to representatives of "Uzbekenergo".
"Today, the energy system of Uzbekistan and Central Asia is already operating in ring mode, 500 kV and 220 kV are being transmitted. There are parallel sections of the energy system of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In the future, we will take measures to expand and strengthen the ring. Now we are also working with Afghanistan, in this direction the 220 kV line operates, we are helping the Afghan people, "said the head of the strategic development department of "Uzbekenergo" Eso Sadullaev.
According to him, the company is also ready to consider and discuss the proposals for the CASA-1000 project, but the decision will be taken by the government of Uzbekistan.
Earlier, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Usmonali Usmonzoda told reporters that the countries of Central Asia are working to restore the unified electric power system of the region. The possibility of connecting Tajikistan's electric power lines with the energy system of Uzbekistan has been fully studied.
"Certain works on connecting the power systems of our countries have already been carried out," said the Minister of Energy of the Water Resources of Tajikistan Usmonali Usmonzoda at a press conference in Dushanbe.
He noted that Tajikistan has technical capacity to supply electricity in the summer period of the year to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. "If our neighbors want to get relatively cheap electricity in the summer, they can connect to our energy system through existing transmission lines. We can restore supplies on these lines, which have been idle for many years," the minister said.
Usmonzoda stressed that the possibility of connecting the electric power lines of Tajikistan with the power system of Uzbekistan has been fully studied by the specialists of Barki Tojik. He noted that Tajikistan is fully ready to connect from the Reagar substation to the substations in the territory of Uzbekistan.
According to Mahmadumar Asozoda, the first deputy head of the Barki Tojik, the work to restore the energy systems of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was revived last year after the improvement of relations between two countries. He noted that two countries in previous years connected high-voltage transmission lines 500 and 220 kilovolt (500 kV transmission line and 220 kV transmission line).
"We got acquainted with the state of power transmission lines in our territory and eliminated the shortcomings that were identified," said a representative of Barki Tojik.
Asozoda noted that a 500 kV transmission line from the Regar substation is ready for connection, as well as four lines of 220 kilovolts in the north of the republic. Moreover, according to him, two of them are under constant protection voltage.
Asozoda added that if the relevant agreement will signed, Barki Tojik is ready to start supplying electricity to Uzbekistan via these lines in the summer months.
Tajikistan after the release of Uzbekistan in 2009 from a single energy ring was automatically cut off from the networks of other countries in the region. The republic faced an acute shortage of electricity in the autumn-winter period. However, after commissioning of new capacities, at present Tajikistan is actually providing itself with electricity in full all year round.
Moreover, the republic has a great potential for electricity production in the summer. However, due to the lack of a sales market at hydropower stations, they are forced to produce an idle water discharge. Only in small amounts of electricity, due to insufficient transmission capacity of the power transmission line, is exported to Afghanistan.
The formation of a regional energy system, including Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and South Kazakhstan, as the United Energy System of Central Asia was completed by 1991. It included 83 power plants with a total capacity of 25,000 MW. The energy regime of the operation of the IPS CA was carried out taking into account the provision of contractual electricity transfers between the energy systems of the Central Asian states.
