DUSHANBE, September 12, Asia-Plus — The fifth session of the council of the coordination commission of the Central Asian countries and Kazakhstan will open in the Tajik capital on September 13.
Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding, told Asia-Plus that one of major topics of the session will be revival of a regional power grid linking Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The session is aiming to consider issues related to coordination of use of energy resources of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, reaching agreement on use of water and energy resources in spring-summer period and tackling problems connected with shortage of power in autumn-winter period.
“Revival of a regional power grid linking Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be one of major topics of the session,” the spokesman said, adding that he hopes for positive settlement of that issue.
Recent visit of the head of Tajikistan’s Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding, Sharifkhon Samiyev, to Turkmenistan has resulted in signing of an agreement on delivery of 1 billion kWh of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan in autumn-winter 2007-2008.
To revive a regional power grid linking Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan it is necessary to repair a 500-kilovolt power-transmission line between Turkmen Mary power station and the Uzbek Qoraqol power station.
We will recall that a Tajik government delegation led by Energy and Industries Minister Sherali Gulov on July 24 met with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat to discuss the possibility of importing 1 billion electricity from Turkmenistan in the autumn-winter period to compensate for the anticipated shortfall in supplies from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, where reservoirs are so low that the output of hydroelectric power stations (HPSs) has been seriously affected.
To cover annual winter shortages of electricity Tajikistan needs on average from 3 billion to 3.5 billion kWh of electricity.
