DUSHANBE, October 20, Asia-Plus — Over the first nine months of this year, Tajikistan has exported some 114 million kWh of electricity for a total amount of more than 2.3 million U.S. dollars, according to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI).
The source says Tajik electricity is supplied primarily to Afghanistan. “Since Tajikistan is still experiencing winter electricity shortages, we will supply surplus electricity to Afghanistan only in summer,” he added.
Barqi Tojik power holding (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) says the cost of Tajik electricity for Afghanistan is currently 3.5 cents per kilowatt-hour.
But if we compare the volumes of electricity exported over the report period to figures provided by the Agency for Statistics, it turns out that electricity have been sold at the rate of 2 cents per one kWh.
Barqi Tojik specialists explain that figures provided by the Agency fro statistics also include electricity that Tajikistan supplied to Kyrgyzstan in summer period in exchange of Kyrgyz electricity Tajikistan received in the past spring.
Barqi Tojik says Tajikistan now supplies electrical power in small amounts only to the Afghan city of Kunduz.
Electricity generated by the Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) will be supplied to Afghanistan. “The Sangtuda-2 HPP offers its electrical power at 2.5 cents per one kWh, while current price of one kWh of electricity in Tajikistan is not more than 1.8 cents,” said the source, “Therefore, it was decided to use for export electricity, generated by the Sungtuda-2 HPP, at the rate of 3.1-3.5 cents per one kWh.”
Meanwhile, according to figures provided by the Agency for Statistics, Tajikistan has imported 65 million kWh of electricity for an amount of more than one million U.S. dollars over the same nine-month period.
Increasing hydro-electrical output is a key component of the Tajik government’s plans for improving the nation’s economy, a goal which has met with increasing resistance from neighboring Uzbekistan, which fears that further construction of hydroelectric facilities in Tajikistan could disrupt water flows essential to Uzbekistan’s agrarian base.
