KHUJAND, January 24, 2009, Asia-Plus — Residents of the northern city of Qaoroqqum have not had electricity since Friday morning.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Deputy Qaoroqqum mayor, Rahmat Burhonov, said that electricity quota provided to the city did not allow supplying electrical power to residential customers. “The current electricity quota for Qairoqqum is now only 190,000 kWh of electricity per day,” said Burhonov, “This amount is not enough for all categories of electricity consumers. 14 industrial enterprises now function in the city and they consume 150,000 kWh of electricity per day, the remaining 40,000 kWh are supplied to the strategic sites in the city and nearby settlements.”
A total population of this territory is 34,000 people and 112,000 kWh of electricity are needed per day to provide them with electrical power, the deputy mayor said.
In the meantime, the Qairoqqum hydroelectric power plant (HPP) that was reintroduced into operation on January 22 now works in maximum level, generating 2.346 million kWh of electricity per day.
According to the branch of Barqi Tojik power holding for Sughd, the province on January 23 received some 4 million kWh of electricity, including2.346 million kWh generated by the Qairoqqum HPP.
Meanwhile, the province’s daily requirements in electricity are 14-15 million kWh and 7-8 million kWh with taking into account electricity rationing that reduces the supply of daily electricity to four hours.
Specialists say such an electricity supply situation will remain in the province until resumption of supply of the Turkmen electricity that was suspended on January 1, 2009 because Tajikistan has not yet signed an agreement with Uzbekistan on transit of Turkmen electricity via Uzbek power systems.
RFE/RL quoted Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrohkhon Zarifi as saying that Uzbekistan has not fulfilled its obligations according to bilateral agreements on energy and water signed at a Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Bishkek last year. Zarifi said Uzbekistan began interrupting Turkmen electricity deliveries to Tajikistan in January, forcing the country to use water from the Norak and Qairoqqum reservoirs to produce electricity. The reservoirs are used by Uzbek and Turkmen farmers downstream, and Zarifi said both countries would face serious water shortages if the situation does not change by summer.
