DUSHANBE, February 20, Asia-Plus — Introduction of the last fourth unit of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power station (HPP) scheduled for February 25 has been postponed for an uncertain period, Asia-plus has learned at open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtuda HPP-1, which has built the station.
The source at Sangtuda HPP-1 said that postponement had resulted from nonpayment by Barqi Tojik power holding of its electricity debt to the company. “Sangtuda HPP-1 has been forced to postpone the introduction of the fourth unit into operation due to more than 16.8 million somoni in arrears that Barqi Tojik owes to Sangtuda HPP-1 for electricity received from the Sangtuda-1 station last year,” the source said.
The Sangtuda HPP-1 administration will probably file suit against Barqi Tojik over unpaid debt at Tajikistan Higher Economic today.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the Sangtuda HPP-1 director Rakhmetulla Alzhanov said that they on February 9 gave Barqi Tojik ten days to pay off its electricity debt.
We will recall that the first unit of the Russian-built Sangtuda-1 station 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. Since January 20, 2008, the station has generated more than 1.237 billion kWh of electricity.
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.
