ENERGY
Tajikistan Turns to Hydropower To Fuel Renewable Growth
670-MEGAWATT HYDROPOWER STATION SANGTUDA-1 BUILT JOINTLY BY RUSSIA AND TAJIKISTAN
W
ith climate change becoming a dire concern worldwide, Tajikistan — which has limited fossil fuels — is unique.
Hydroelectric power accounts for 98 percent of the electricity generated in this Wisconsin-size country, with a further potential of 527 billion kWh (kilowatt-hours) — only 5 percent of which is currently used. Developing this clean and renewable energy source is a key priority for Tajikistan in its efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve energy self-sufficiency. “The people of Tajikistan have been suffering for more than 15 years due to electricity shortages in the winter,” President Emomali Rahmon told The Washington Diplomat. “Our neighbors should clearly understand the situation, and the only way to solve this issue is to construct hydroelectric plants.” The winter shortages in the region can be crippling, especially because most of Tajikistan comes to a standstill in colder weather. Schools and hospitals frequently close, industrial output slows down, and agricultural yields plummet as electric pumps that irrigate fields run out of power. Nearby Afghanistan, Pakistan and even northern India — which all suffer similar energy problems — could indirectly benefit from hydroelectric projects implemented in Tajikistan, where water is plentiful. In fact, with 93 percent of its territory covered by mountains, 8,476 square kilometers of glaciers, 947 rivers stretching over 28,500 kilometers and 1,300 freshwater lakes, landlocked Tajikistan is blessed with abundant
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water resources. The former USSR used to link its republics through a Central Asian power grid, an elaborate system that allowed Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — the source of more than 80 percent of the region’s water — to supply hydroelectric power in the summer to downstream republics like Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In turn, they would supply gas and electricity in the winter, when water was accumulated and kept in the reservoirs with the purpose of future disposals by mentioned countries during irrigation season. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought an end to this profitable relationship — and in subsequent years, water rights have become a source of enormous regional tension. “Under Tajikistan’s initiative and with the support of more than 140 countries, 2003 was declared by the United Nations as the International Water for Life Decade,” said Rahmon. “This is a bright example of our active engagement in the resolution of important issues for mankind.” According to the country’s water resources minister, Rahmat Bobokalonov, water and energy issues are inextricably linked. “Solving water and energy problems requires us to develop regional collaboration. Unfortunately, it is not a reality in Central Asia,” he said. “In 2006, experts estimated that the inefficient management of water resources resulted in losses of $1.75 billion.” In fact, fears and suspicions that Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan would suddenly be able to control the water flow to downstream countries — mainly Uzbekistan — has led to regional animosity. In late 2009, Uzbekistan withdrew from the Central Asian power grid — forcing some regions in Tajikistan to SPONSORED REPORT
burn coal with all its negative environmental consequences. Concerned that equipment transiting its territory might end up being used to build hydropower plants in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan is also disrupting rail traffic to its neighbor, which in turn hurts traffic to Afghanistan via the Northern Distribution Network. Last year, for instance, up to 2150 freight cars traveling daily through Uzbekistan were delayed for many weeks. Many of them stopped for a period of up to two months, unable to get to Tajikistan. With the help of international development agencies though, Tajikistan hopes to improve its ability to manage its own water resources. The country is taking steps to finish construction of the Rogun hydroelectric dam. Located on the 350-kilometer-long Vachsh River, Rogun could generate up to 3,600 megawatts of power and guarantee Tajikistan’s energy independence. Abdullo Yorov, chairman of the state-owned power company Barki Tojik, says the Vachsh is “the most economical and technologically beneficial river to use for hydropower plants.” But construction of the dam came to a screeching halt when the Soviet Union collapsed. Then came Tajikistan’s civil war and in 1993 a devastating flood that washed out much of what had been built up to that point. In 1999, Tajikistan decided to revive the project, and five years later, Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska — owner of aluminum conglomerate RUSAL — vowed to invest $2 billion to complete Rogun, modernize the Tajik aluminum company TadAZ (now Talco), and build another aluminum smelter. Unfortunately nothing happened, and in 2009 the Tajik government finally cancelled the deal, citing RUSAL’s “failure to honor its commitments.” Eager to move the project forward, in January 2010 the government issued $1.4 billion in stock, as part of a controversial plan in which it invited every citizen to buy shares. The scheme brought in about $200 million. “It’s true that, with the goal of attracting domestic investment, we have started to sell shares of the Rogun joint stock company,” said the president. “However, in my address to the people of Tajikistan, I reminded them that during the sales process nobody should use force or pressure people to buy shares, because the financial support for constructing Rogun is a patriotic act and a long-term investment for the people of Tajikistan, their children and their grandchildren.” The World Bank is keeping close tabs on the project.
April 2011