DUSHANBE, February 26, 2009, Asia-Plus — “I do not understand how a half-finished Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP) may be ranked among facilities that are not liable to privatization,” the head of the Management Department within the Faculty of Economy at Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU) in Dushanbe, Georgy Koshlakov, said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on the bill requiring amendments to the country’s law on privatization of state-owned property.
We will recall that the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) yesterday endorsed amendments prohibiting privatization of the state unitary enterprise Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) and the Norak and Roghun HPPs.
“It is not logical to adopt such laws until the facility is finished,” said the expert. “Moreover, it not yet known due to what funds the station will be built. Tajikistan may put the Roghun station on the list of facilities not liable to privatization only in the case if it completes construction of the station with use of national funds.” He noted that he doubted that Tajikistan would be able to complete the Roghun hydroelectricity project on its own.
According to him, the Tajik government has repeatedly stated that it plans to create international consortium to complete the construction of the Roghun HPP. If the international consortium is created, other countries and organizations as well private companies may participate in the project, Koshlakov said.
