The Government of Tajikistan will begin direct negotiations with potential investors to attract additional financing for the completion of the Rogun HPP by the end of this year, Finance Minister Fayziddin Kahhorzoda said at a press conference in Dushanbe on August 15.
"Now 30 international experts are working at the facility to assess its current condition," he said.
According to the minister, a report will be published in September on the results of these works, which will indicate all aspects of the project.
"After that, we will start direct negotiations with potential investors," he said.
Kahhorzoda stressed that all development partners, including the World Bank, under whose auspices the project is being evaluated, will determine their position after the publication of the report of international experts.
Besides the World Bank, the head of the Finance Ministry considers the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and others to be potential investors of the project.
The Minister recalled that there are already agreements on attracting a preferential loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (PRC) in the amount of $ 500 million. In addition, he noted, the Islamic Development Bank intends to increase the financing of this facility to $ 250 million from the previously announced $ 150 million.
It should be noted that at the moment the Rogun project is funded exclusively by public funds. The President of the country last week at a meeting with the Rogun builders said that since the beginning of this year more than 3 billion somoni have been allocated for its completion, in particular, 2.6 billion somoni from the budget, and 427 million somoni from the sale of electricity produced by two units of this station.
He stressed that since the beginning of restoration and construction works (since 2008), more than 35 billion somoni have been allocated at the expense of the state budget for the construction of this HPP.
