KHOROG, May 20, 2010, Asia-Plus — Uncertainty in selection of the electricity consumption market is impeding the beginning of construction of the Sanobod hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in the Rushan district of Gorno Badakhshan, Daler Jumayev, the director general of the Pamir Energy Company (PamirEnergy), told reporters in Khorog on May 19.
The press conference was dedicated to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship that was hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama together with the Department of State and the Department of Commerce, in Washington on April 25-27.
Mr. Jumayev noted that the summit had brought together more than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, academics, and leaders of entrepreneurship networks, non-profits, foundations, and businesses from 50 countries who were invested in promoting business or social entrepreneurship in Muslim communities around the world. The U.S. Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, highly appraised work of PamirEnergy.
“The talks with some participants of the summit — entrepreneurs interested in financing the construction of the Sanobod HPP — stalled over determination of market for electricity that will be generated by this station;” the PamirEnergy director noted.
According to him, within the framework of cooperation between the Government of Tajikistan and the Aga Khan Foundation, the Swiss company, STUCKY, has completed feasibility study for this 100MW station.
He added that to increase the power-generating capacity of the region, PamirEnergy was currently seeking donors for construction of the 10MW Sebzor station on the Roshtqala River in the Roshtqala district and the 10MW hydropower station, Chartem, in the Shugnan district as well as for increasing the Khorog HPP capacity from 9 to 15 MW.
It is to be noted that during the last autumn-winter period, the PamirEnergy customers had power nearly around the clock.
PamirEnergy is a joint project of the Government of Tajikistan, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), the World Bank’s private finance division, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). A total cost of the project is some 26.5 million U.S. dollars, including the Tajik government’s contribution of 10 million U.S. dollars.
The company has a 25 year concession on the assets formerly under the management on Barqi Tojik (Tajik electricity supplier) in Gorno Badakhshan. In exchange for this concession (management right), PamirEnergy has invested in completing the Pamir hydropower station, rehabilitating power generation, transmission and distribution assets, and improving the management of the company.
