DUSHANBE, October 28, 2009, Asia-Plus – President Emomali Rahmon is currently at the site for construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP).
According to presidential press service, the purpose of the visit is for the president to get acquainted with the pace of implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity project and preparations for blocking the Vakhsh River flooding for beginning of work on construction of the dam. The river is scheduled to be blocked in early November.
As it had been reported earlier, specialists are currently carrying out preparatory work on blocking the river, clearing two tunnels that had been damaged in the 1990s. These facilities are expected to have been rehabilitated by November and the work on blocking the river will start in early November when water levels in the Vakhsh River decrease.
This year, the government has allocated 532 million somoni for the Roghun hydroelectricity project this year and more than 350 million somoni of that amount have been spent so far.
Specialists say that least US$600 million are needed to introduce the first two units of the station into operation and more than US$2 billion are needed for introduction of all six units of the Roghun HPP into operation.
In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov said on October 23 that Tajikistan’s national budget for 2010 earmarks 650 million somoni (equivalent to more than 148 million U.S. dollars) for the Roghun hydroelectricity project.
We will recall that a statement released by president’s office announced on August 29, 2007 that Tajikistan has formally revoked a contract with Russia”s RusAl aluminum company for the construction of the Roghun HPP. The Tajik government accused the company of failing to fulfill the contract signed in 2004. Tajik authorities and RusAl became bogged down in the hydroelectric plant”s dam model and height, crucial factors in its capacity.
In April 2008, Tajikistan founded open joint-stock company with an authorized capital of 116 million somoni for completing the construction of the Roghun station. Tajik authorities also plan to create an international consortium to complete the construction of the Roghun power station.
The 3,600 MWt Roghun hydroelectric plant is to generate 13 billion kWh of electricity per year. The plant”s completion would substantially increase sales of electricity to neighboring Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan.
