DUSHANBE, April 19, Asia-Plus — Russia’s open joint-stock company (OJSC) Siloviye Mashiny (Power Units), which is the main supplier of equipment for units of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP), has not met Tajik authorities’ halfway and has not agreed with early introduction of hydroelectric complex into operation in December this year.
The delivery of the fourth rotor wheel or the Sangtuda-1 HPP is scheduled for October and the fourth unit will be put into operation, most likely, in March 2009.
In the meantime, the Sangtuda-1 station building owner, OJSC Sangtuda HPP-1 considers that contractor [Siloviye Mashiny] is breaking the contract. Negotiations are still under way.
A meeting with participation of the first Deputy Prime Minister, Asadullo Ghulomov and representative from RAO YeES (Russia’s Unified Energy Systems), Milhail Tsoi, was held at the site of the Sangtuda-1 station on April 17.
Speaking at the meeting, the Sangtuda HPP-1 director general Rakhmetulla Alzhanov noted that by President Rahmon’s charge the second unit is planned to be introduced into operation in June and the whole complex by the end of this year.
Viktor Obmankin, the deputy director of Siloviye Mashiny in charge of implementation of projects, said that they had decided to review terms of the supply of the third and the fourth units due to a large debt of Sangtuda HPP-1 to the contractor (some 1 billion Russian rubles).
“The Siloviye Mashiny’s administration has not yet coordinated a new schedule of works and equipment supplies and assembly of the main components will be carried out in accordance with previous contract concluded between Siloviye Mashiny and OJSC Sangtuda HPP-1 in 2005,” said Obmankin. “Under this contract, the second unit should be introduced into operation in July, the third unit in November and the fourth one in March 2009.”
According to him, the fourth rotor wheel for the unit was produced in September and they will able to deliver it to Tajikistan no earlier than October, and therefore, the last unit will be introduced into operation only in March 2009.
For his part, the Sangtuda HPP-1 director general Rakhmetulla Alzhanov considers that the supply of the fourth rotor wheel in October is in contrary with the provisions of the contract concluded between the station building owner and Siloviye Mashiny in 2007, under which the fourth rotor wheel should be delivered to Tajikistan in July.
He added that they are ready to pay off its debts to the contractor already in June, when funds will come from the Russian side. According to him, they have not yet received funds for the first two quarters of this year.
Yuri Sharov, a senior official with RAO YeES, confirmed that financing will start by June. According to him, the Russian energy conglomerate is currently considering Tajik government’s protocol on additional emission of the Sangtuda HPP-1 shares. “The federal budget earmarked 5 billion rubles and after coordination procedures in June, the funds will be sent to the site,” Sharov said.
According to Ghulomov, the Tajik government has also ordered to provide $3 million from remaining $6 million share of Tajikistan for this year. The remaining $3 million are supposed to be allocated in the near future.
We will recall that the opening of the first unit of the angtuda-1 station was held on January 20, 2008. Russia’s Unified Energy Systems (RAO YeES) 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.
