Tajikistan’s power export volumes to neighboring countries revealed
By Kamila Aliyeva
About 595 million kilowatt-hours of Tajik electricity was exported to neighboring countries last month, which is 22 million kWh less than in July 2018.
The decrease in the volume of electricity supplies is associated with 35 million kWh lower export volumes sent to Uzbekistan, Asia Plus reported.
In August 2018, Uzbekistan received 382 million kWh of Tajik electricity, the report entitled “Monitoring and Early Notification in Tajikistan” said. A month earlier, the volume of supplies to this country amounted to 417 million kWh.
In August, electricity was also exported to Kyrgyzstan in the amount of 12.4 million kWh, which was not recorded in July.
Afghanistan, as in the previous months, received slightly more than 200 million kWh of Tajik electricity in August.
According to statistical data, the amount of electricity exports for the first eight months of this year amounted to over $ 62.2 million, which is 56.6 percent or $ 22.5 million higher than in the same period of last year.
The main buyers of Tajik electricity are Afghanistan and Uzbekistan.
Tajikistan this year plans to increase the export of electricity to Afghanistan by 200 million kWh. At the beginning of this year, first deputy chairman of Barki Tojik Madumar Asozoda said that last year Tajikistan exported 1.3 billion kWh of electricity to Afghanistan. According to the agreements, the figure is planned to increase to 1.5 billion kWh this year.
According to Asozoda, in 2017 Tajikistan exported electricity to neighboring Afghanistan at a price of 4.081 cents per kilowatt-hour. Under an agreement signed earlier between the energy departments of the two countries, the cost of Tajik electricity for Afghanistan increases by 3 percent annually. The term of this agreement on tariffs is valid until 2029. The amount of electricity export to neighboring Afghanistan last year was $ 52.3 million.
Tajikistan has restored electricity supplies to Uzbekistan since April this year after a nine-year break. In total, according to the agreements, Tajikistan will supply up to 1.5 billion kWh of electricity to the neighboring country.
Tajikistan exports electricity to Uzbekistan at a price of 2 U.S. cents per kilowatt.
Tajikistan can export up to 5 billion kWh of electricity. Seasonal recipients of Tajik electricity are Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan (1.5-2 billion kWh) along with Uzbekistan.
Over 18 billion kilowatt hours of electricity, which allowed the country to provide electricity without imposing a limit, were produced in Tajikistan in 2017.
Previously, Central Asia had a unified energy system. It included 83 power plants with total capacity of 25,000 megawatts in the territory of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and southern Kazakhstan.
In winter, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan accumulated water in reservoirs and received electricity and energy resources (coal and natural gas) from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. In summer, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan sent water to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan for irrigation farming.
However, after Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan left the unified energy system of Central Asia in 2003 and 2009, respectively, the system ceased to function.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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