DUSHANBE , July 20, Asia-Plus - Russia will provide funds from its budget for the construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power station (HPS) in Tajikistan , Tajik Energy Minister Abdullo Yorov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 20.  

According to him, an agreement on this subject was reached during a telephone conversation of President Emomali Rahmonov with his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin on July18.  

“A government commission has been set up for settling this issue, and I believe a new agreement will be signed soon,” the minister said.  

It will be the third agreement on the Roghun power plant signed between Tajikistan and the Russian Federation over the past 13 years.   

The first agreement was singed in 1993, and a joint-stock company “Roghun HPS” was founded under this agreement.  According to Mr. Yorov, this agreement has already gone through a procedure of denunciation by the Tajik side, and they have to liquidate this enterprise.  

The second agreement was signed in Dushanbe in October 2004, during President Putin’s visit to Tajikistan .  Under this agreement Russian Aluminum (RusAl) pledges itself to invest $560 million in Tajikistan ''s Roghun hydropower plant and over $700 million in aluminum-production facilities in Tajikistan . 

Speaking to journalists Deputy Energy Minister, Pulod Muhiddinov, noted, “The work with RusAl is still ongoing.”   “The work on assessment of properties of the half-finished station is also under way,” Mr. Muhiddinov said, noting that a large work is expected to be done in August.  According to him, Russian aluminum giant is investing in rehabilitation of the infrastructure.   “It is not clear yet how the construction work will be going on,” the Tajik energy official said, adding that the agreement with RusAl has not yet been denunciated.  

The deputy energy minister also noted that Tajikistan still insisted on the construction of the plant by a design worked out and enhanced in 1978, which has bee coordinated with all countries in the region.  Under this design the plant should have a 335-meter high fill dam and the plant should has a capacity to generate 13.1 billion kWh of electricity a year.  Six generators with capacity of 600 megawatt each will be installed at the Roghun plant.  

For his part, the energy minister denied information that neighboring countries allegedly spoke against implementation of large energy projects in Tajikistan as “unfounded.”  He added although electricity requirements in Tajikistan were rising year out no any large hydroelectric power station has been built in the country over the past twenty years.