DUSHANBE, October 30, 2009, Asia-Plus — Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) has confirmed the fact of unauthorized withdrawal of Kazakh electricity from Central Asia’s power grid.
However, specialists from Barqi Tojik say that the reason for that case is technical features of the structure of the Central Asian power grid that includes Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the Barqi Tojik spokesman Nozirjon Yodgori noted, “The fact that electricity from Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan sometime gets to Tajikistan could not be interpreted as theft, because the countries are in common power circle and electric power from one country may flow to neighboring countries from time to time.”
“We will thoroughly study the situation and the volume of Kazakh electricity that was illegally withdrawn from CA power grid will be returned or reimbursed,” the spokesman said, noting that Tajikistan has already returned 115 million kWh of electricity to Kazakhstan and 51.5 million kWh of electricity to Kyrgyzstan this year.
According to him, Tajikistan now uses only its own power resources. “Tajikistan’s power plants now generate some 32 million kWh of electricity per day, while negotiations with Uzbekistan over Turkmen electricity deliveries to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems are still going on,” Yodgori said.
We will recall that referring to Interfax-Kazakhstan, Vesti.kz reported on October 27 that Kazakhstan plans to pull out of Central Asia’s power grid next month. According to Interfaz-Kazakhstan, a source at Kazakhstan’s national power network management company (KEGOC –Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company) said that Kazakhstan planned to pull out of the CA power grid because uncontracted withdrawal of electricity from the CA power grid, in particular by Tajikistan, has been to be observed lately. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the supply of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan via Uzbek power systems is hampered. The KEGOC executives assure that in case of quitting the Central Asian power grid, Kazakhstan will be able to meet its requirements in electricity and support the power system of Kyrgyzstan.
