Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company) says it will impose restrictions on the supply of electricity due to a dramatic drop in water levels in a reservoir powering the Nurek hydroelectric power plant (HPP).
In a statement released on July 28, the Government says low water levels in the Nurek reservoir were caused by little snowfall in the mountains during the winter.
The government said the limit on electricity supply will aim at saving water in the reservoir, which is used by the Nurek hydropower station.
The Government asks the population to understand the decision of the country’s national power company to impose restrictions on the supply of electricity.
According to the statement, the water level in the Nurek reservoir is 17-meters lower compared to previous years. Fifty percent less water is reportedly running in the Vakhsh and Panj rivers that feed into the reservoir.
Given the current situation, each citizen, each family, all organizations, companies and enterprises, irrespective of forms of property, must ensure economical use of electricity, the statement says.
The statement said that, if low water levels continue, it may create problems providing electricity to the population and industrial facilities across the country in the autumn and winter.
The government is reportedly taking all necessary measures so that the population of the country does not face problems in the autumn-winter period.
Tajikistan had reportedly cut off electricity exports to Uzbekistan and reduced its export of electricity to Afghanistan by 90 percent
Recall, power rationing is usually introduced in Tajikistan 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.
Measures rationing electricity supplies are introduced in all regions, except Dushanbe and the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), and seek to curb the country’s rising electricity consumption.
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.
