DUSHANBE, March 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — Workers of the Russian-built Snagtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) today notified administration of open joint-stock company Sangtuda HPP-1 in written form that they begin a warning strike to demand their wages, Russia’s news agency Itar Tass reported on March 27.
Workers demand to pay overdue salaries for the last four months. According to Itar Tass, managers of Sangtuda HPP-1 say they are not able to pay the wages as Barqi Tojik power holding has not yet repaid a debt of nearly 10 million US dollars.
The Sangtuda HPP-1 representatives noted that they had already informed the Tajik government of a critical situation that had emerged at the construction site. Some 400 skilled workers currently work for Sangtuda HPP-1 in Tajikistan.
Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI) and Barqi Tojik refused to comment on the situation.
As it had been reported earlier, Sangtuda HPP-1 stated in February that the opening of the Santuda-1 HPP has been postponed until Barqi Tojik can repay its debt.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on February 21 that a spokesman for the Barqi Tojik electric company told it that the company is unable to settle the debt at this time.
We will recall that the first unit of the Russian-built Sangtuda-1 station was introduced into operation on January 20, 2008. The second and the third units of the plant were also introduced into operation last year — on July 1 and November 6 respectively.
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.
