DUSHANBE, September 11, Asia-Plus — Recent visit of the head of Tajikistan’s Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric systems) power holding, Sahrifkhon Samiyev, to Turkmenistan has resulted in signing of an agreement on delivery of 1 billion kWh of Turkmen electricity to Tajikistan in autumn-winter 2007-2008, Asia-Plus has learned from Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Tajik power holding.  

Under the agreement Tajikistan should make 100-percent prepayment for Turkmen electrical power, the spokesman said.  The issue of repairing a section of the power-transmission line through Uzbekistan that delivers electricity from Turkmenistan and other details of the Turkmen electricity deliveries, including the price of the imported electricity, will be discussed at the next round of talks, which will be held in the near future, according to him.  

To revive a regional power grid linking Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan it is necessary to repair a 500-kilovolt power-transmission line between Turkmen Mary power station and the Uzbek Qoraqol power station.  

 We will recall that a Tajik government delegation led by Energy and Industries Minister Sherali Gulov on July 24 met with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov in Ashgabat to discuss the possibility of importing 1 billion electricity from Turkmenistan in the autumn-winter period to compensate for the anticipated shortfall in supplies from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, where reservoirs are so low that the output of hydroelectric power stations (HPSs) has been seriously affected. 

To cover annual winter shortages of electricity Tajikistan needs on average from 3 billion to 3.5 billion