Mahmadumar Asozoda, the head of Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company), has explained the supply of Tajik electric power to Uzbekistan by preparing Tajikistan’s power system to rejoin the Central Asian unified power grid.
According to him, there are certain requirements for connection of the country’s power system to the regional power grid.
“In accordance with these requirements, Tajikistan must supply monthly up to 10 million kwh of electricity to Uzbekistan and up to 5 million kwh of electricity to Kyrgyzstan,” Asozoda told reporters in Dushanbe on February 13.
He stressed that these countries must get the power back on to Tajikistan next month.
Asozoda attributed the January electricity supplies to Uzbekistan precisely to such preparatory work.
Recall, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma told reporters in Dushanbe on January 30 that the process of Tajikistan’s rejoining the Central Asian unified power grid will be completed in April. According to him, the project is about 85% complete to date. The minister, however, said the connection of power grids in the northern part of the country to the regional power supply system will take more time.
As it had been reported earlier, 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.
