The World Bank will provide additional US$36.5 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for the second phase of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project in Tajikistan, a source within the Tajik government told Asia-Plus in an interview.
“A relevant agreement on providing the grant was singed between the Government Tajikistan and the IDA at the end of the last year, the source said.
According to him, the agreement has recently been submitted for ratification to the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament).
The project’s second phase will finance the rehabilitation of the remaining six generating units, the Nurek bridge, the powerhouse, and other key buildings, while strengthening the HPP’s capacity to operate and maintain the power plant.
Recall, the first phase of the Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project, financed by the World Bank (US$225.7 million), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (US$60 million) and the Eurasian Development Bank (US$40 million), was launched in March 2019. It has focused on rehabilitating three of the nine generating units, replacing and refurbishing hydromechanical equipment and the key infrastructural components of the power plant, replacing six auto-transformers that are used to evacuate the generated electricity, and enhancing dam safety with a special focus on protection against seismic hazards and floods.
The Nurek hydroelectric power plant (HPP) is the most important asset of Tajikistan’s energy system.
The Nurek HPP, with an installed capacity of over 3,000 megawatts, generates about 50 percent of total annual energy demanded in Tajikistan. Operational at currently about three-quarter of its installed generation capacity, the HPP is undergoing its first major rehabilitation since its commissioning in 1972. Once completed, the rehabilitation will allow the Nurek HPP to increase electricity generation by about 300 million kWh, supporting the Government’s efforts to ensure that energy demand can be met even during the cold winter months.
