DUSHANBE (Avesta News Agency) – Tajikistan exports around 500,000 kWh/day of electricity to Kazakhstan, reported Tajikistan’s state-run energy holding Barqi Tojik (برق تاجیک).

Hydropower Model of Vakhsh River (PDF)
The construction of dams on the Vakhsh River started in the late 1950s with the construction of the Perepadnaya diversion and power station. Until 2011 seven power stations have since been constructed, with the main purpose of generating hydropower. Some of the dams also have secondary purposes, such as feeding irrigation schemes.
Further extensions of the cascade are planned. Construction work on the Rogun dam and power station had already started in the late 1970’s and came to a halt with the end of the Soviet Union. Recently another feasibility study for the completion of the scheme has been commissioned.

Tajikistan started to export electricity to Kazakhstan last July, and according to Barqi Tajik, to around 12 million kWh were delivered in July. Tajikistan claims to be able to send even more power, if the transmission grid of Kyrgyzstan had enough capacity. Power will be exported until October.

Tajikistan and Kazakhstan held a long negotiation process and finally agreed on a price of $0.2/kWh. This electricity is produced in Tajikistan by using the water of hydropower plants of Vakhsh Cascade which is normally wasted.

Tajikistan also exports power to Afghanistan. 2.4 million kWh/day of power to Afghanistan.

Tajikistan possesses vast and unique reserves of hydro-power resources and occupies one of the first places in the world on hydro resources. Glaciers cover 6% of the total country area and contain 550 km³ of water reserves. Hydropower plants produce more than 52.2 kWh of electricity every day. Around 47 million kWh of power is consumed domestically, the remaining is exported.

In 2011, the trade turnover between the Kazkhstan and the Tajikistan amounted to US $405.2 mln ($357.4 mln. of export from Kazakhstan), that is 22.8% more comparing to 2010. With a view to enhance investment cooperation between the two countries, a Kazakh-Tajik Direct Investments Fund was established.