DUSHANBE, September 17, Asia-Plus — Today, at 4:00 a.m., water levels at the reservoir powering the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS) reached the target technical point -- 910 meter above sea level, Asia-plus has learned from Nozirjon Yodgori, a spokesman for Tajikistan’s National Utility Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric system).   

According to him, they are usually tasked to impound the reservoir to this level by September 20, while this year, the task has already been performed.  

The Norak HPS accounts for 70 percent (12 billion kWh) of the total volume of electricity (17 billion kWh) generated in Tajikistan per year.  

The spokesman added that the Tajik power holding had already fulfilled its obligations on supplying electricity to Uzbekistan this summer.  Barqi Tojik has pledged to supply 900 million kWh of electrical power to Uzbekistan this year.  “We have to date supplied already 905 million kWh of electricity to the neighboring country,” the spokesman said, adding that now, Tajikistan could demand 600 million kWh of electricity from Uzbekistan in the autumn-winter. 

 We will recall that Tajikistan experienced an acute shortage of electricity last winter and early spring.   Even Dushanbe experienced limits on electricity usage in connection with low water levels at the Norak power station, and energy deliveries were cut in some Dushanbe residential district because water levels at the Norak reservoir had fallen to critical levels because mountain snow had not yet melted and because Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan had not been able to supply electricity to make up the deficit because unusually cold weather had led to a higher demand for power in those countries.