DUSHANBE, February 27, 2015, Asia-Plus — Power rationing introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan in October last year was lifted today, Nozir Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan), told Asia-Plus in an interview.
“The country’s power generation capacities have increased by 1,020 megawatt in recent 5-6 years that has allowed lifting power rationing earlier than usual,” Yodgori noted.
We will recall that by president’s order the supply of daily electricity to residential customers in rural areas increased to 18 hours on February 21. Residential customers in rural areas now have electricity from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Electricity rationing was introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan on October 1, 2014.
Electricity rationing has not affected Dushanbe as well as the cities of Khujand, Qurghon Teppa, Kulob, Tursunzoda, and Chkalovsk as well as the majority of districts of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
In GBAO, Tajikistan’s only private power company, Pamir Energy Company (Pamir Energy), operates. This company is responsible for electricity deliveries in the region and the majority of districts in Gorno Badakhshan now have regular power supply.
Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and seek to curb the country”s rising electricity consumption. The rationing is introduced in October or November and lasts through March or April next year. The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 12 or 10 hours. In addition to curbing rising consumption, the move also stems from a decline in the water level in the country”s reservoirs powering the main hydroelectric power plants.
