Tajikistan has reduced electricity exports

The Minister of Energy of Tajikistan stated that this year the country has reduced the volume of electricity exports to neighboring countries.

As reported to the media on July 31 during a press conference, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, said that according to the ministry’s strategy, “by 2030, up to 10 percent of the electricity produced will come from renewable sources, including solar power plants and wind generators.”

The minister also emphasized that in the first half of this year, the country produced more than 10.7 billion kWh of electricity. According to him, this is 3.3 percent more compared to the same period last year.

The Minister of Energy also stated that this year the volumes of electricity supplied to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have also decreased. According to the minister, in the first 6 months of this year, 974 million kWh of electricity were supplied to neighboring countries, which is 85 million kWh less compared to the same period last year.

According to the minister, in the first 6 months of this year, Tajikistan supplied Afghanistan with 685 million kWh worth 320 million somoni, and Uzbekistan with 289 million kWh worth about 63 million somoni.

At the same time, the minister, commenting on the power outages in some regions of the country during the summer, referred to repair work and the debts of the population, blaming the residents themselves.

Power outages in Tajikistan have been ongoing for the last 30 years, and despite the commissioning of new turbines at the Rogun Hydropower Plant, electricity supply to the population is restricted during the autumn-winter period.

Moreover, according to the authorities themselves, “In the world, Tajikistan ranks eighth in terms of hydroelectric potential after China, Russia, the USA, Brazil, Zaire, India, and Canada, and first in Central Asia.”

Additionally, according to the authorities, Tajikistan utilizes only 4-5 percent of its vast hydroelectric resource potential. “The hydroelectric potential of Tajikistan is three times higher than the current electricity consumption across Central Asia,” the authorities claim.