DUSHANBE, August 28, Asia-Plus — On Wednesday August 29, the head of Tajikistan’s Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) state-controlled power holding, Sharifkhon Samiyev, will leave for the Turkmen capital city of Ashgabat to discuss with Turkmen colleagues the recent deal with Turkmenistan to import 1 billion kWh of electricity in autumn-winter 2007-2008, Asia-Plus has learned from Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik. Tajikistan will have to purchase electricity with 100-percent prepayment, the spokesman said.
“As far as the issue of tackling technical problems in the territory of Uzbekistan are concerned, Turkmen specialists expressed readiness to repair a section of the power-transmission line through Uzbekistan that delivers electricity from Turkmenistan,” Yodgori said.
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.
