DUSHANBE, February 7, Asia-Plus – Tajik power holding Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) introduces tougher electricity rationing in Dushanbe.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Rashid Gulov, the deputy engineer-in-chief, Barqi Tojik, said that starting from today, electricity supplies will be cut off to residential buildings and enterprises, with the only exceptions limited to strategic sites and the central part of the city, at night, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.
He added that it cannot be ruled out that in case of necessity electricity supplies will be cut off in the daytime as well. An ongoing energy crisis and a severe shortage of sufficient electrical power has forced to introduce such rigorous measures, Gulov said.
According to him, this new power supply schedule differs from rotational power cutoffs that were effective in the Tajik capital in the second part of January. “The Barqi Tojik top manager Sharifkhon Samiyev will appear on the First Channel of Tajik national TV today evening to give details of the new power supply schedule introduced in Dushanbe,” Gulov said.
He noted that the supply of daily electricity to the Tajik aluminum smelter has been reduced from 21 million kWh to 17 million kWh.
Gulov says
the measures stem from a decline in the water level at the reservoir powering the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS) and suspension of electricity supplies from Uzbekistan.
“The water levels at the reservoir have to date fallen to the critical level – 860 meters above sea level, and only three meters remain to the “dead point,” said Gulov, “At present the rate of inflow of water in the reservoir is some 80 cubic meters per second, while b y the end of last month it had been some 160 cubic meters per second.”
“We are forced to take cardinal measures in order to avoid critical situation,” the deputy engineer-in-chief said
According to him, Tajikistan has not received electricity supplies from Uzbekistan since February 4. “Uzbek energy authorities said that they have suspended electricity supplies for technical reasons; they have promised to resume electricity supplies in three days,” Gulov said.
