DUSHANBE, October 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — A delegation of Ukraine’s Kharkov region is arriving in Tajikistan in the near future.
The delegation members include representatives from open joint-stock company (OJSC) Turboatom, which is expected to manufacture equipment for the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS).
The reliable source at Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding said that during their stay in Tajikistan, members of the Ukrainian delegation would visit the southern Khatlon province. As it had been reported earlier, Khatlon and Kharkov regions singed a cooperation agreement in Kharkov in late September.
Representatives from Turboatom will hold talks with top managers of Barqi Tojik to discuss issues related to production of equipment for the Norak HPS.
We will recall that on December 5 2008, Tajik energy ministry and Ukrainian leading turbine-producing company, open joint-stock company (OJSC) Turboatom, signed a protocol of intention on launching joint venture in Tajikistan for designing and manufacturing turbines for small and medium-sized power plants. The document was signed in Kharkov within the framework of President Emomali Rahmon’s state visit to Ukraine. Besides, Turboatom will resume supply of turbines for the Roghun hydroelectric power station (HPS) under construction and provide the Norak HPS with new turbines. Referring to press service of Turboatom, Ukraine’s news agency Ukraine Daily reported in December 2008 that the sides are expected to consider organizing-legal issues related to establishment of the joint enterprise in Dushanbe in January or February 2009. In Dushanbe, they will also discuss the equipment nomenclature.
Atn.kharkov.ua reported in early December 2009 that President Emomali Rahmon and Turboatom top managers also discussed details of a contract on supply of equipment for the Norak HPS. According to the news agency, Turboatom should receive 12 million US dollars for fulfillment of this contract. Tajikistan has ordered six units for the Norak HPS, atn.kharkov.ua said, noting that the contract was expected to be signed by the end of 2008. However, the contract has not yet been signed.
Turboatom specializes in the production of turbines for thermoelectric and nuclear power stations, hydraulic turbines for hydroelectric power stations and hydro-accumulator stations, gas turbines for thermoelectric power stations, and steam-and-gas equipment as well as other energy equipment. A 75.22% stake in the enterprise belongs to the state and is managed by the State Property Fund.
In the meantime, the Norak HPS director Sharifkhon Samiyev told journalists in Dushanbe that work on replacement of a water wheel at the station’s ninth unit would start soon. According to him, installation of the new water wheel that was delivered to Tajikistan on October 13 will take some six months.
The Norak Dam is a large earth fill dam located on the Vakhsh River. At 300 meters it is currently the tallest dam in the world. Construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1980, when Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union.
A total of nine hydroelectric turbines are installed in the Norak Dam. Originally having a generating capacity of 300 megawatts each (2,700 megawatts total), they have since been redesigned and retrofitted such that they now combine to produce 3,000 megawatts. The station’s capacity is 11.2 billion kWh of electrical power per year.
