DUSHANBE, December 15, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan plans to become one of largest supplier of electrical power in the region, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zaripov announced at a meeting with a delegation of Japanese businessmen in Dushanbe on December 14.
Presenting Tajikistan’s investment projects, the minister noted that development of Tajik hydropower resources could drive the bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.
According to Zaripov, Tajikistan plans to have brought annual generation of electricity to 26.4 billion kWh by 2010. “By 2015, Tajikistan’s hydroelectric power stations (HPS) will have annually generated a total of 35 billion kWh of electricity,” the minister said, noting that 14 hydropower plants with capacities ranging from 300 to 4,000 megawatts will be constructed on the Panj River alone. The largest will be the Dashtijum HPS with capacity of 4,000 megawatts. The Dashtijum project costs US $3.2 billion, according to Zaripov.
The minister said that Tajik electrical power exports are expected to have amounted to 5 billion kWh by 2010, 12 billion kWh by 2015, from 30 billion to 32 billion kWh by 2020 and 47 billion kWh by 2025.
“Potential markets for Tajik electricity supplies are in Afghanistan, Iran, India and Pakistan,” said Zaripov, “In this connection, Tajikistan has already reach an agreement on the construction of power-transmission lines via Afghanistan to Iran and Pakistan.”
Zaripov also noted that development of transportation infrastructure could reduce Tajikistan’s isolation from the neighboring markets and provide links to the ports of the Indian Ocean.
He stressed that Japan has good potentials to expand its cooperation with Tajikistan. “As one of world’s leaders in producing high technologies, Japan could introduce in Tajikistan for development of mineral resources and aluminum production,” Zaripov said, noting that Tajik leadership is ready to cooperate with all countries, who are interested in development of Tajikistan.
