World Bank repays Barqi Tojik’s debts to Sangtudinskaya GES-1

DUSHANBE, January 27, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Barqi Tojik power holding head Abdullo Yorov told reporters on January 26 that the World Bank has warded a grant to Barqi Tojik for purchase electric power from open joint-stock company OJSC Sangtudinskaya GES-1, which operates the Sangtuda-1 hydropower station.

According to him, the World Bank paid US$3.6 million to Sangtudinskaya GES-1 in January this year. “US$3.9 million were paid to Sangtudinskaya-1 in November and another US$3.9 million were paid to it in December,” Yorov noted.

We will recall that the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank signed an agreement on additional financing for the Energy Emergency Recovery Assistance project in Dushanbe on May 14, 2010. This additional financing has been allocated to support to meet energy shortages in winter seasons and mitigate the heavy social costs and humanitarian crises that result from the Tajikistan network disconnection from the Central Asia Power System. More specifically, the additional financing aims to ensure basic access to electricity for about 250,000 people in northern Tajikistan, and increase heat and power supply to the entire country, without overdrawing or depleting hydro resources in winter.

The Executive Board of the World Bank approved US $15 million as an additional grant for the mentioned project from International Development Association (IDA) funds on May 6. These funds were approved by the Executive Board of the World Bank in response to the Government of Tajikistan request to address the energy shortages in the country.

Barqi Tojik now owes 119.089 million somoni to Sangtudinskaya GES-1.