DUSHANBE, January 24, Asia-Plus — The government has not given any orders on cutting off electricity supplies to industrial enterprises, Deputy Energy and Industries Minister, Poulod Muhiddinov, remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 24.
According to him, the government has ordered to reduce the electricity supplies to Khatlon and Sughd provinces as well as districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) with effect from January 22, “but no orders have been given on cutting off electricity supplies to the industrial enterprises.”
We will recall that speaking to journalists at news conference on January 22, Sharifkhon Samiyev, chairman of power holding Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems), said that due to serious power crisis that hit Tajikistan, electricity supplies to all industrial enterprises, with exception of a number of facilities of statewide importance such as Tajik aluminum smelter, Dushanbe cement plant, bread-baking and dairy plants, have been cut off, and their staffers will go on forced vacation until February 1. Besides, the Barqi Tojik top manager noted that the supply of daily electrical power to Tajik aluminum smelter (Tajik Aluminum Company or TALCO) would be reduced by 2 million kWh.
Muhiddinov noted that power supply reductions would affect the capital city as well.
The deputy minister noted that Dushanbe now receives additional 1.2 million KWh of electricity from TALCO. “It will take some ten days to increase this amount to 2 kWh,” Muhiddinov said.
He also added that the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant, launched on January 20, would generate electrical power at the rate of 2 million kWh per day starting from today, and beginning on January 27, it would generate electricity at the rate of 2.5 million kWh per day.
According to him, only favorable weather conditions will allow increasing electricity supplies. “If weather conditions in the region begin to improve in the coming days, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will be able to supply 10-12 million kWh of electricity per day to Tajikistan,” the deputy minister said.
