Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Mr. Daler Jumayev, has asked France Ambassador to Tajikistan, Mr. Michel Tarran, to promote participation of France’s companies in a tender for construction of the Sebzor hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).
The press center of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR) says this issue was discussed at a meeting of Mr. Jumayev with Ambassador Tarran that took place in Dushanbe on May 20.
The parties reportedly discussed ways of bilateral cooperation between the two countries to solve problems existing in the water and energy sector of Tajikistan.
The parties reportedly expressed interest in expanding cooperation in the energy sector exchanged views on possible areas of cooperation.
Recall, an official commencement of construction of the Sebzor HPP took place in GBAO’s Roshtqala district on July 29, 2015.
The Sebzor HPP with capacity of 11 MW is expected to allow meeting the region’s requirements in electricity and exporting electricity to the neighboring areas of Afghanistan.
The hydropower plant that is being built in the Sebzor area of the Mirsaid Mirshakar jamoat some 15 kilometers of Khorog, the capital of GBAO, will generate up to 60 million KWh of electricity per year.
According to the MoEWR, Pamir Energy Company is constructing the plant under support of the Tajik Government.
On August 2, 2019, Tajikistan and Germany signed an agreement on financial cooperation. A total amount of this agreement is 27 million euros and it is aimed at supporting the Strengthening Rural Development through the Use of Adapted Land and Disaster Risk Reduction Project and the Sebzor HPP Construction Project. Under this agreement Germany reportedly provided a €17 million grant for construction of the Sebzor HPP.
On December 2, 2019, the governments of Tajikistan and Switzerland signed a US$9.55 million grant agreement on financing the construction of the Sebzor-Khorog power transmission line, 110 kV open switchgear and mitigating climate change effects.
In his address to a joint meeting of both chamber of parliament, President Emomali Rahmon noted on December 26, 2019 that the Sebzor HPP should be introduced into operation in 2022. According to him, a total cost of this project is about 50 million U.S. dollars.
In July last year, the German Development Bank (KfW) provided €18.6 million for construction of the Sebzor HPP.
The Sebzor hydropower plant is being constructed within the framework of the program of construction of small hydropower plants at the expense of domestic and foreign investors.
Adopted by the Government of Tajikistan in 2009, this program provides for the construction of 189 small hydropower plants with a total capacity of 103.6 MW and generation of 800 million kWh of electricity per year.
