ADB recommends Tajikistan to support the dialogue on restoration of the unified energy system of Central Asia
Almaty. February 23. Silkroadnews – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recommends the Tajik authorities to support a dialogue to restore a unified energy system of Central Asia (CA), Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) informed on Thursday.
“The Asian Development Bank suggests Tajikistan to continue the dialogue with neighboring countries to establish electricity trading format and maintain the constructive relations with the energy coordination council of Central Asia on reunification of the Central Asia’s power system”, the experts of the bank note.
According to the ADB representatives in Tajikistan, an issue of the unified energy system restoration was once again raised over the past year due to the shortage of electricity Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan run into.
Such calls of individual countries and international organizations has been raising since 2014, when Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were said to restore the unified energy system of Central Asia, bypassing Uzbekistan that was dissatisfied the most with “one ring” operation and decided to step aside. However, the discussions never came to any specific decisions made in this regard.
After Uzbekistan withdrew from energy ring in 2009 Tajikistan turned automatically cut off from the other networks of the region.
The republic has run into a severe shortage of electricity in the autumn-winter period. Then later, with putting into operation its new facilities, Tajikistan managed to produce sufficient volume of electricity to meet one’s demand all year round. Moreover, the country has a great potential for electricity generation in summer period. With no sales market for electrical power Tajikistan’s hydropower stations have to undertake idle water discharges. Only a small amount of electricity, due to insufficient capacity of transmission lines, is exported to Afghanistan.
Therefore, ADB recommends Tajikistan to proceed with building new transmission lines, which would allow enhance electricity trade between Tajikistan and Turkmenistan through Afghanistan.
