An electricity rationing introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan in early January has been reduced from seven to six hours.
“Beginning on February 13, electricity rationing has been reduced by 1 hour,” Mirzo Ismoilzoda, the head of Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company), told reporters in Dushanbe yesterday.
Residential customers in rural areas now have electricity eighteen hours per day – from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
The power rationing has reportedly been reduced due to increase in water level in the Vakhsh River.
Ismoilzoda noted that they had been forced to introduce the electricity rationing in January because the water level in the reservoir powering the Nurek hydropower plant had been four meters lower compared to the same period last year.
“The current water level in the Nurek reservoir is only 26 centimeters lower compared to the same period last year,” the Barqi Tojik top manager added.
Recall, the electricity rationing system came into force on January 5, beginning at 11:00 pm. Residential customers in rural areas had electricity seventeen hours per day – from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Electricity rationing has not affected Dushanbe, regional administrative centers and large cities.
Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and regional administrative centers and they seek to curb the country's rising electricity consumption. 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.
