DUSHANBE, May 13, 2009, Asia-Plus — The last fourth unit of the Russian-built Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) is expected to be introduced into operation on May 15, according to administration of open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtudinskaya GES-1, which has built the station.
We will recall that the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 station was introduced into operation on January 20, 2008. During 2008, the second and the third units of the plant were also introduced into operation on July 1 and November 6 respectively.
The construction of the Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant located some 110 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe began in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, only 20% of the construction work had been completed, and further construction was suspended due to a civil war that broke out in Tajikistan in the early 1990s. The talks between Russia and Tajikistan on completing the construction of the Sangtuda-1 HPP began in 2003 and in 2004 the parties signed an inter-governmental agreement.
Russia retains a 75 percent share in the power plant, which will generate a projected 2.7 billion kWh of electricity per annum. The power station will have an estimated capacity of 670 MW.
