DUSHANBE, October 22, 2010, Asia-Plus — Minister of Energy and Industries Gul Sherali told reporter today that it is planned to block the Vakhsh River in early November for construction of the dam for the Saungtuda-2 hydroelectric power plant (HPP).
“Preparatory work is under way at the dam site and waterway tunnels,” said the minister, “The river course will change and water will run along two waterway tunnels.”
Gul Sherali assured that the construction work would not affect electricity supply in the country.
We will recall that the blocking of the Vakhsh River in December 2006 to further the construction of the Sangtuda-1 HPP caused a two-day near-nationwide blackout. On December 12, 2006, a tough electricity rationing was introduced in Tajikistan and during two days electric power was supplied only to strategic facilities.
Tajikistan and Iran signed a protocol for Iran to construct the 220MW Sangtuda-2 hydropower station on the Vakhsh River in Dushanbe on January 12, 2005. During President Rahmon’s visit to Iran in January 2006, a number of agreements providing for Iranian assistance for several Tajik infrastructure projects, including construction of the Sangtuda-2 HPP, were signed. Iran has invested 180 million U.S. dollars out of the total 220 million U.S. dollars assigned for the project. The Sangtuda-2 HPP was scheduled to become operational by 2012 but Tajik officials wanted it to be inaugurated sooner than schedule.
Once the power station is built, all the revenue over the next 12.5 years will go to the investor and Tajikistan will become the owner of Sangtuda-2 after this period expires.
