DUSHANBE, November 9, 2009, Asia-Plus — Today morning, at around 6:30 am, electricity supplies to Dushanbe were cut off for several hours.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the head of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) Committee on Energy, Industry and Construction, Mirzosharif Islomiddinov, said that the electricity blackout was caused by spontaneous shutdown of the Norak and Baypaza hydroelectric power plants (HPP).
Chairman of the Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding Sanat Rahimov refrained from giving any comments on the situation.
Director of the Norak HPP, which now accounts for more 70 percent of the overall volume of electricity produced in the country, Sharifkhon Samiyev, also refused from clarifying the cause of the HPP shutdown.
In the meantime, step-by-step supply of electricity to Dushanbe was resumed in three hours.
A power shortage caused blackouts across Tajikistan, except Gorno Badakhshan, where electricity supplies are provided by The Pamir Energy Company (PamirEnergy), and the northern province of Sughd.
Reporters for Asia-Plus in the Khatlon province noted that the province had also been hit by electricity blackout for several hours.
