Construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant to be completed four years behind schedule

An additional five billion dollars is needed to fully complete construction work on Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Plant. This is stated in a new report by the international rating agency S&P Global Ratings.

According to the agency, construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant will only be fully completed by 2035. The government of Tajikistan had previously planned to finish construction work by 2031. In other words, according to S&P’s estimates, the project will be completed four years later than planned by the country’s government.

According to the report, roughly half of the remaining funds will be provided through grants and concessional loans from international financial institutions, while the other portion will come from the state budget and revenue generated by the hydropower plant itself.

To date, Tajikistan has received financing from a number of international institutions for investment in the Rogun Hydropower Plant. Specifically, the World Bank has invested a total of 650 million dollars, the Asian Development Bank has contributed 500 million dollars, the Islamic Development Bank and Arab funds have invested 450 million dollars, and the Qatar Fund for Development has allocated 50 million dollars toward the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant. Negotiations are also underway to secure an additional 1.7 billion dollars.

Despite this, Tajik authorities have still not officially disclosed the total cost of constructing the Rogun Hydropower Plant. The outlet TRT Global previously reported that more than 48.1 billion somoni, or approximately 5 billion dollars, have been spent on the project from all sources since construction began in 2008.

S&P also forecasts that the plant’s third generating unit will be commissioned in 2027. Two units are currently in operation, having been brought online in 2018 and 2019.

The Rogun Hydropower Plant is considered Tajikistan’s largest energy project. Once construction is complete, the plant’s design capacity will reach 3,780 megawatts, and it will generate 14–17 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

Tajikistan has faced electricity shortages for many years, particularly during the autumn-winter period. The country’s authorities hope that once the Rogun Hydropower Plant is fully operational, this problem will be largely resolved, making it possible not only to meet domestic electricity demand but also to open up opportunities for exporting power to countries in the region.