The Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Juma has discussed the issue of importing petroleum products from Iran during his four-day working visit to Tehran that lasted from March 1 to March 4, Jamshed Sadulloyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan (MoEWR), told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Besides, Juma discussed with his Iranian counterparts the agreement between Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company) and Sangtuda-Sangab NBO Company, which operates the Sangtuda-2 HPP, on purchase of electricity in accordance with a protocol signed by the parties.
The parties reportedly also discussed problems facing the Sangtuda-2 HPP and some other aspects of this joint project.
Construction of the Sangtuda-2 HPP, a 220-megawatt plant on the Vakhsh River, officially commenced in February 2006 and it was introduced into operation in 2011. Iran has invested US$180 million and Tajikistan US$40 million in the project. Once the power station is built, all the revenue over the next 12.5 years will go to the investor and Tajikistan will become the owner of Sangtuda-2 after this period expires.
While in Tehran, Tajik minister held talks with Iran’s ministers of energy, petroleum and gas, education and head of Iran’s national bank, Sadulloyev said.
Iranian media reports say Daler Juma met with Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian on March 2.
Tehran Times, citing the Iranian Energy Ministry’s official website, says the energy ministers of Iran and Tajikistan, as the chairs of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee, met in Tehran on March 2 to discuss cooperation in various areas.
Addressing the press after the meeting with Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma, Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian reportedly referred to the emphasis of the presidents of both countries on the development of relations, especially in the economic field.
"Reviewing the statistics of Iran's exports to Tajikistan in the current [Iranian calendar] year (ends on March 20) indicates that we are witnessing an acceptable growth in this field," Mehrabian said.
He noted that there are many areas for cooperation between the two countries, saying: “The presence of Iranian companies in some projects in Tajikistan and participation in the construction of hydropower plants is an example of such cooperation.”
Referring to the positive cooperation between the two countries in various fields including the transit of goods, Mehrabian expressed hope that with the potential and capacity that exists in the two countries, the two sides will be able to enhance such cooperation.
Juma, for his part, reportedly mentioned his country’s abundant water resources and noted: "Tajikistan has good water reserves which can be used for electricity generation; this can create opportunities for cooperation between the two countries.”
He further referred to a joint hydropower plant project which is being implemented by the two countries, saying: “This is the fourth and largest project in Tajikistan currently underway. The Republic of Tajikistan is very pleased to carry out the largest hydropower plant project with a production capacity of 3,700 megawatts (MW) with engineers from Iranian companies.”
The official expressed his country’s willingness for benefiting from Iran’s technical and engineering services in the coming years.
“We plan to build more than 700 MW of power plants using various sources such as solar and wind power in the near future,” he reportedly added.
