DUSHANBE, January 28, 2009, Asia-Plus — New rates for electricity generated by Russian built hydroelectric power plant (HPP) Sangtuda-1 will be coordinated by the governments of Tajikistan and Russia only after the plant is finished on the turnkey basis, Deputy Energy and Industries Minister, Poulod Muhiddinov, remarked at a press conference in Dushanbe on January 26.
According to him, the current price of one kWh of electricity generated by the Sangtuda-1 station is 1.15 cents. “”The price will be reviewed after introduction of the station’s fourth unit into operation,” the deputy minister said, noting that the new price will be set with regard to an average electricity rate in the country.
Asked about the date of introduction of the fourth unit into operation, Muhiddinov said that it was scheduled for the first half-year of 2009.
In the meantime, the source at open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtuda HPP-1, which has been constructing the station, told Asia-plus today that under an official contract singed between Sangtuda HPP-1 and Barqi Tojik power, the new price for electricity generated by the Sangtuda-1 station is set at 3.1 cents per one kWh beginning on January 1, 2009. In 2008, electrical power produced by the station was supplied at 1.14 cents per one kWh. The station currently generates some 4 million kWh of electricity per day, the source said.
As it had been reported earlier, the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 HPP was introduced into operation on January 20, 2008. During 2008, the second and the third units of the plant were also introduced into operation on July 1 and November 6 respectively.
Introduction of the fourth unit into operation is scheduled for February 25, 2009. However, the Sangtuda-1 plant will be completely finished in March 2009. Under government-to-government agreement between Tajikistan and Russia the delivery of the station, including all necessary infrastructure and social facilities, to the customer is scheduled for late March 2009.
The construction of the Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant located some 110 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe began in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s, only 20% of the construction work had been completed, and further construction was suspended due to a civil war that broke out in Tajikistan in the early 1990s. The talks between Russia and Tajikistan on completing the construction of the Sangtuda-1 HPP began in 2003 and in 2004 the parties signed an inter-governmental agreement.
Russia 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.
