DUSHANBE, June 21, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The second unit of the Russian-built Sangtuda-1 hydropower plant will be tested in free-running regime on Monday, June 23, Aleksey Silantyev, the first deputy head of Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric system) power holding, said on June 20.

According to him, the second unit will begin generating electrical power already in early July.

He noted that once additional two units of the Sangtuda-1 plant are operational in late 2008, Tajikistan will receive additional 1.2 billion kWh of electrical power a year.

We will recall that the first unit of the Sangtuda-1 station was put into commission on January 20 this year.  The ceremony, presided over by President Emomali Rahmon, was attended by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Naryshkin and the head of Russia''s Unified Energy Systems, Anatoly Chubais.  The Sangtuda-1 plant was hailed as a first step in alleviating Tajikistan''s energy crisis.

The first unit of the Sangtuda-1 plant has a planned capacity of 220 million kWh, and once all four units of the plant are operational, the station will have an annual projected capacity of 2.7 billion kWh of electricity.

Russia’s Unified Energy Systems (RAO YeES) retains a 75 percent share in the power plant, which will generate a projected 2.7 billion kWh of electricity per annum.  The power station will have an estimated capacity of 670 MW.