DUSHANBE, November 9, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan has reportedly increase financing of Roghun’s construction.
“The draft national budget for 2013 projects some 1.2 billion somoni for implementation of the Roghun hydroelectricity project, which is 100 million somoni more than it has been earmarked for construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power plant (HPP) this year” Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov told Asia-Plus in an interview.
According to him, the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and the Techno-Economic Assessment Study (TEAS) for the Roghun Hydroelectricity Project are expected to be finished next June.
“Nearly 75 percent of funds earmarked by the national budget for Roghun’s construction this year has been drawn by November 1, the minister said.
We will recall that Tajikistan founded OJSC NBO Roghun with an authorized capital of 116 million somoni for completing the construction of the Roghun station in April 2008 after it formally revoked a contract with Russia”s RusAl aluminum company for the construction of the Roghun HPP in August 2007. The Tajik government accused the Russian 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.
To raise funds to complete construction of the Roghun HPP the government started to sell shares in Roghun to people on January 6, 2010. Tajikistan has reportedly issued 6 billion somoni worth of Roghun shares.
Tajikistan’s plans to build the Roghun HPP have raised serious concerns across the border in Uzbekistan. Uzbek officials argue that because it could take up to 18 years to fill, the Roghun project will severely reduce the amount of water flowing into Uzbekistan.
