In a statement delivered at the session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), the Minister of Energy and Water Resources Usmonali Usmonzoda noted on December 20 that the Tajik aluminum smelter today consumes on average 7 million kWh of electricity per day.
“The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) plans to double aluminum production next year. Electricity consumption will increase twice as much accordingly,” the minister said.
According to him, residential customers are now the main consumers of electricity in the country. Usmonzoda told lawmakers that Tajikistan is currently carrying out negotiations with China on construction of the Fon-Yaghnob combined head and power (CHP) plant with capacity of 600 megawatt.
Recall, a new aluminum smelter with annual capacity of 503,000 tons is expected to be built in Tajikistan. The new aluminum plant will also be constructed in Tursunzoda, where Tajik aluminum smelter operates.
TALCO plans to increase aluminum production to 1 million tons within the next few years. In order to put these ambitious plans into practice, TALCO will begin construction of a new aluminum smelter and fully modernize the functioning aluminum smelter next year.
An agreement on construction of a new aluminum smelter in Tursunzoda was reached between TALCO and China’s Yunnan Company during Tajik President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to China in later August this year,
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world. It consumes more than 30 percent of the country’s electrical power. TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
Construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975. THz Tajik aluminum smelter has a rated capacity of 517,000 tons of primary aluminum per year. On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.
