Uzbekistan has reportedly completed preparation of its five power transmission lines for parallel work with Tajikistan’s power system.
“One of our main tasks is to restore parallel work of Uzbek and Tajik power systems. To-date, we have prepared one 500kV and four 220kV power transmission lines for parallel work with Tajikistan’s power system. These power transmission lines will connect the power systems of the two countries,” Eso Sadullayev, an official with Uzbekenergo (state owned energy company) told Uzbek media outlets.
At the same time he noted that “there are certain technical parameters that do not allow introducing the created facilities into operation.”
“To ensure regular operation of these power transmission lines and prevent accidents on them it is necessary to develop relay protection and automated mechanisms. This task has been imposed on the Tajik side, and as far as I know, they have already conducted negotiations with Rosatom and Enetrgosetproyekt on this subject. As soon as the project is ready, specialists will implement it on substations in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and after this, the power systems of the two countries will operate in parallel way,” Uzbekenergo official said.
He further added that they were ready to collaborate with Tajikistan in any format.
Tajikistan is actually ready?
Tajikistan is practically ready for resurrection of Central Asian unified power grid.
Central Asia’s nations have repeatedly stated the necessity of resurrection of Central Asia’s unified power grid in recent years. Tajikistan has repeatedly said that Uzbekistan is also interested in restoration of the Central Asian unified power grid.
Recall, heads of national power companies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan gathered in the Kazakh city of Almaty on May 16 to discuss the issue of restoration of the Central Asian unified power system, the synchronized electric grid of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Tajikistan was presented by Mirzo Ismoilzoda, the head of Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national integrated power company).
The meeting participants just coordinated the draft resolution on the Central Asian unified power grid. But it has not yet been signed.
Some international experts consider that Tajikistan is the Central Asian state currently most interested in reviving the grid. Back in 2007, it was the worst prepared state in the region to handle the frigid winter.
Two years later, when another harsh winter hit the country, Tajikistan, without seeking permission, reportedly drew more than its allocated share from the regional unified grid.
Kazakhstan suspended its participation in the Central Asian unified power grid in February 2009 and redirected electricity supplies for domestic use.
Kazakhstan’s national energy network (KEGOK) said in a statement on February 26, 2009 that extra electricity exports to Tajikistan, for example, led to power outages in southern Kazakhstan.
Uzbekistan officially left the Soviet-era regional power grid that united the country with its three Central Asian neighbors in December 2009.
Tajik authorities that time criticized Uzbekistan’s decision as an effort to put pressure on neighbors. The move left Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan facing severe electricity shortages during the winter months.
Uzbekistan’s geographic location made it one of the most important members of the unified system, as many regions in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had been supplied with electricity through power lines crossing Uzbek territory.
For the last several years, Turkmenistan has wanted to sell electricity to Tajikistan, but that power would be most easily transferred using lines that cross some 200 kilometers of the territory of Uzbekistan, which left that regional power grid. Therefore, the Turkmen-Tajik deal never moved forward.
However, after introducing new facilities into operation Tajikistan now meets its annual requirements in electricity almost completely.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan (MoEWR), Tajik power system is fully prepared for operation in parallel with the Central Asian unified power grid. Tajikistan is reportedly ready to supply electricity to neighboring countries. Today the only problem is that Uzbekistan has dismantled the 500 kV power transmission line from the Guzar substation in its territory to the Regar substation in Tajikistan, Tajik power engineering specialists say.
Tajikistan has sufficient summer-time (defined as May 1 to September 30) hydropower surpluses to export to the neighboring countries.
Tajikistan is reportedly able to export up to 5 billion kWh of electricity during summer period. Today, Tajikistan exports 800 million kWh of electricity to Afghanistan and 600 million kWh of electricity to Kyrgyzstan during summer period. The remaining 3.6 billion kWh of Tajikistan’s surplus electricity remain unused during summer period because of withdrawal of Uzbekistan from the Central Asian unified power grid.
Restoration of Central Asian unified power grid is a long-term process
Meanwhile, Tajik energy expert Kamoliddin Sirojiddinov says restoration of the Central Asian unified power grid is a long-term process that will take at least three years.
According to him, reviving the regional energy grid would only solve some of the problems. “Some cities and districts of the country have aging equipment that was installed in the 1960s,” he said. To avoid a meltdown of the electricity distribution system, upgrades are needed, Sirojiddinov added.
Former Tajik MP Shodi Shabdolov, who is a specialist in power engineering, says the resurrection of Central Asian unified power grid is a timely and topical issue.
“High-voltage lines and substations built in Tajikistan with help of China fully meet international standards. As far as aging facilities at the Nurek hydroelectric power plant (HPP) are concerned, they are actively being renovated under technical and financial support of a number of countries and international financial institutions,” Shabdolov noted.
Meanwhile, Andrei Zakhvatov, an expert on electricity systems in Central Asia, considers that Tajikistan is not alone in needing the resurrection of the regional grid.
“Growing populations need more jobs, and development of industry is occurring across all Central Asia. If Tajikistan is able to export cheap electricity to Uzbekistan in summer, then what sense does it makes for Uzbekistan to refuse? You could say the same for cooperation between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan,” Zakhvatov told EurasiaNet.org in an interview in June.
