Reconstruction of a 63-kilometer section of a 500 kW power transmission line “Guzar-Regar” has been launched in Uzbekistan.
To maintain a balance of energy and water resources as well as sustainable provision of consumers with electricity, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are jointly implementing a number of investment projects, including the project to restore the 500 kV power transmission line “Guzar-Regar,” the press center of the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan saiys.
An estimated budget for implementation of this project is 25 million U.S. dollars and the project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.
The project will be implemented in cooperation with the Chinese company Shanghai Electric Power Transmission & Distribution, the winner of the international tender.
The project is being implemented on the basis of a protocol signed by the Tajikistan-Uzbekistan intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation. The project is reportedly aimed at ensuring the reliability of power supply when the power systems of the two states operate in parallel.
Recall, the press service of the National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan (NES) noted in September last year that China's Shanghai Electric Power Transmission & Distribution has won a tender for the restoration of a 500 kV transmission line between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
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.
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.
