DUSHANBE, November 14, 2012, Asia-Plus — Khairullo Safarov, director general of OJSC NBO Roghun, has met with reporters to discuss the results of work carried out at the site for construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant.
During the meeting that took place in Dushanbe on November 14, Safarov noted that he is sure that the results of assessment studies for the Roghun hydroelectricity project will be positive.
“We will be able to protect our position and preserve the dam parameters mentioned in the project,” said Safarov.
“The project does not pose any threat to the downstream countries; on contrary, they will have an opportunity to get cheaper and ecologically pure electric power after introduction of the Roghun plant into operation,” he noted.
Safarov expressed regret that the populations of the downstream countries, in particular Uzbekistan, are not aware well of the surveys conducted at the site for construction of the Roghun plant. “We would like Uzbek specialists to participate in these works so that they would have reliable information about the project,” said OJSC NBO Roghun top manager. “Representatives of Uzbekistan, however, ignored two information-sharing meetings on the Roghun project.”
Safarov noted that he was satisfied with the intermediate results of the assessment studies presented by consulting companies in Almaty, Kazakhstan on November 6-7.
According to him, there are some differences in views on resettling villagers from the projected reservoir area of the Roghun dam. “However, the assessment studies for the Roghun project are going on and all disputable issues will be resolved,” Safarov said.
We will recall that the effort to resettle people from the zone that will be flooded behind what is projected to become the world’s tallest dam was launched in 2009. A special government regulation adopted in January 2009 envisaged the moving of more than 4,700 families, or about 30,000 people, from 63 villages.
Safarov also noted that the World Bank and the Government of Tajikistan reached an understanding in June that the main construction works would be suspended at the site.
He said that Tajikistan would receive the final resolution on the Roghun project next summer and only after that the construction works would be resumed.
Safarov also noted that 95 percent of equipment for the first unit and some 65 percent of equipment for the second unit had already been delivered to the country.
He stressed that Tajikistan had enough skilled personnel to complete construction of the Roghun plant on its own. “Tajikistan can install and introduce the first two units into operation on its own,” said Safarov. “However, we are not against participation of other countries in implementation of this project. Let them participate but controlling interest must belong to the Government of Tajikistan.”
This year’s budget earmarked 1.1 billion somoni for implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity and 600 million somoni have been drawn so far, he noted.
“The sale of Roghun shares has earned the government 804 million somoni,” Safarov said.
Tajikistan founded OJSC NBO Roghun with an authorized capital of 116 million somoni for completing the construction of the Roghun station in April 2008 after it formally revoked a contract with Russia”s RusAl aluminum company for the construction of the Roghun HPP in August 2007. The Tajik government accused the Russian 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.
To raise funds to complete construction of the Roghun HPP the government started to sell shares in Roghun to people on January 6, 2010. Tajikistan has reportedly issued 6 billion somoni worth of Roghun shares.
