DUSHANBE, May 14, 2011, Asia-Plus — The World Bank Director for Strategy and Operations for the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region Mr. Theodore Ahlers visited Tajikistan from May 9 to 12. He was joined by the World Bank Regional Director for Central Asia Mr. Motoo Konishi and the newly appointed World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan Ms. Marsha Olive.
According to the World bank Dushanbe Office, the key objectives of the visit were to review the overall progress of World Bank investment and analytical support to Tajikistan, meet with Tajik President to discuss cooperation issues, as well as with deputy prime ministers responsible for agriculture, energy and social sectors, to emphasize the Bank’s close engagement and interest in Tajikistan’s broad development agenda.
President Emomali Rahmon and Mr. Ahlers discussed opportunities in the energy sector that will contribute to economic growth and mitigate winter energy shortages. These include measures to increase energy savings though efficiency measures and to generate new capacity through hydro, thermal and other power sources. In addition, they discussed the findings of a recent analysis that verified the feasibility of exporting summer surplus energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, using current energy generation capacity.
The visit to Tajikistan was the first leg of a three-nation tour in Central Asia. Mr. Ahlers traveled to Uzbekistan next for additional high-level meetings before the start of a multi-country information sharing and discussion sessions in Almaty, Kazakhstan on May 17-19 on the work program for the Assessment Studies for the proposed Rogun Regional Water Reservoir and Hydropower Project (Rogun HPP).
The World Bank’s support to the Tajik energy sector includes improvement in the financial management of Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) and Tojiktransgaz (state natural-gas distributor), and investments to reduce energy losses and increase energy supply. As a result, billed consumption has increased by around 50 percent, and revenue for sales of electricity in Dushanbe increased by almost five times in the last two years.
In addition, the Government of Tajikistan has asked the World Bank to finance the two main Assessment Studies for the proposed Roghun HPP: Techno-Economic Assessment Study (TEAS) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). The World Bank is also preparing an independent study to be carried out in parallel with the Roghun Assessment Studies. This study is funded directly by the Bank and will assess the energy supply and water management alternatives to the proposed Roghun Regional Water Reservoir and Hydropower Project.
As part of its expanded role in supporting the Assessment Studies for the proposed Rogun HPP, the World Bank has established two independent Panels of Experts: Engineering and Dam Safety Panel and an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Panel. The role of the Panels, who are constituted, managed and funded by the World Bank, is to ensure due diligence and international quality standards, as well as objectivity and credibility through independent advice and guidance. The representatives of the independent Panels of Experts are currently visiting Tajikistan to discuss consultants’ Inception Reports with the authorities and the consultants themselves, contracted by the Government of Tajikistan to carry out the Roghun Assessment Studies.
After these discussions, the members of the Panels will share technical expertise and insights with riparian governments and civil society representatives in Central Asia. The Panels are composed of recognized international professionals from outside the countries of the former Soviet Union. The Chairpersons of each Panel and a dam safety expert will attend the first set of riparian information-sharing and discussion meetings on the Assessment Studies for the Proposed Roghun HPP in Almaty on May 17-19, 2011. All riparian governments and representatives of civil society were invited to participate: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
According to the current schedule for the two Assessment Studies and subject to the timely completion of required additional geotechnical site investigation studies, the consultants will in September 2011 submit reports with recommendations on the following three aspects: the viability of constructing an initial stage of the proposed Rogun HPP with an intermediate height dam as a stand-alone project; the environmental and social assessment of this prospective initial stage of the Roghun project; and the basic parameters for the techno-economic, environmental and social feasibility for a full height Roghun dam.
The consultants’ recommendations will be reviewed by the Panels of Experts, as well as the riparian governments and civil society stakeholders in the period from September to November 2011 when the next round of riparian consultations will take place. The draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is expected to be disclosed in December 2011.
