DUSHANBE, January 9 – Unusual for Tajikistan frosts set in the whole territory of the republic on Monday night. In the central flat part of the country, the temperature dropped to 10 degrees below zero, and in the Pamir mountains - - to 20 degrees below zero. Such frosty weather, which was brought by the Arctic cyclone, will remain till mid-January.

The unusual frosts have aggravated anyway the position of Tajik residents in conditions of complete absence of central heating and shortage of household gas.

As ITAR-TASS learnt at the state energy company Barqi Tojik, electricity supply in the majority of the republic’s regions, including the Tajik capital, is limited to 3-4 hours a day. Power engineering specialists explain the new restrictions by the two-fold reduction of electric power supply from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

The Tajik authorities pin all hopes on putting into operation the Sangtuda HPP-1 with a capacity of 670 megawatt, which is being built with the participation of Russian capital, as soon as possible. The first power unit of the station, as the leadership of the RAO “UES of Russia” assured, will be launched on January 18.