DUSHANBE, February 10, 2010, Asia-Plus — The government session that is taking place today is expected to hear report of the administration of open join stock-company (OJSC) NBO Roghun on the results of work carried out by the company to this day, Asia-Plus has learned at president’s office.
The government session is expected to adopt recommendations on ways to speed up the construction of the Roghun HPP.
As it had been reported earlier, the government in 2009 allocated 533 million somoni for the Roghun hydroelectricity project and the country’s for 2010 earmarks 650 million somoni for the Roghun HPP. Under the country’s medium-term development program, 5.3 billion somoni will be allocated for the Roghun project in 2011-2013.
We will recall that Tajikistan in August 2007 formally revoked a contract with Russia”s RusAl aluminum company for the construction of the Roghun HPP. The Tajik government accused the company of failing to fulfill the contract signed in 2004. Tajik authorities and RusAl became bogged down in the hydroelectric plant”s dam model and height, crucial factors in its capacity. In April 2008, Tajikistan founded open joint-stock company, NBO Roghun, with an authorized capital of 116 million somoni for completing the construction of the Roghun station.
On January 6 this year, the government started to sell shares in Roghun to people to raise funds to complete construction of the Roghun HPP. Tajikistan reportedly has issued 6 billion somoni (US$1.37 billion) worth of Roghun shares, which officials have said is how much is needed to begin producing electricity at two units at the hydropower plant in western Tajikistan.
President Emomali Rahmon said at a January-29-30 cabinet meeting that he is dissatisfied with the slow sale of shares in the planned power plant and ordered the establishment of a commission made up of journalists, members of NGOs, and other non-government representatives to report every 10 days on the use of public money to construct the Roghun hydropower plant.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), more than 692 million somoni (more than US$159 million) has been collected by the government in a month to February 6.
The 3,600 MWt Roghun hydroelectric power plant is to generate 13 billion kWh of electricity per year. The plant”s completion would substantially increase sales of electricity to neighboring Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan.
