Monitoring Desk: Money starved but Hydroelectricity rich, Tajikistan has got opportunities to export electricity to neighbouring Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan by reconnecting itself with Soviet-built United Power System of Central Asia.
The apparently shift in power policy for looking towards old partners for electricity export may be linked with unclear situation regarding the future of much-promoted CASA1000 project for exporting Hydroelectricity to Pakistan via troubled Afghanistan where civil war is on since last 39 years. Civil war in Afghanistan is intensifying despite of lofty claims of US forces to defeat Taliban. With no peace in sight, US-backed CASA1000 project looks like a dream that may not come true in recent future.
Tajikistan has potential to feed electricity to neighbouring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan —-two countries which are in dire need of cheaper electricity for their emerging industrialization.
According to reports, Tajikistan can start supplying electricity to Uzbekistan by March 2018 as it will go into contract with Uzbekistan for exporting at least 1.5 billion kilowatt per year.
According to reports, Dushanbe and Tashkent are now discussing the terms of supply of electricity and the final decision will be made during the state visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Tajikistan scheduled for early March.
The Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Usmonali Usmonzoda believes that Tajikistan could start supplying electricity to Uzbekistan this summer.
It may be noted that after disconnection of Uzbekistan to Tajikistan through the Soviet-built United Power System of Central Asia in November 2009, Uzbekistan-Tajikistan electricity transmission line left abandoned and this section of 60 km of power transmission line connecting the south of the country with Tajikistan needs restoration work.
In another electricity related development, Kazakh-Tajik intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation that took place in Dushanbe on February 12-13 decided reciprocal electricity supplies after restoration of the parallel operation of the energy system of Tajikistan through Soviet-built United Power System of Central Asia.
Deputy Energy Minister of Kazakhstan Bulat Akchulakov and Chairman of the State Investments and Property Management Committee of Tajikistan Farrukh Hamralizod held deliberations for reciprocal power supply system.
