DUSHANBE, June 23, 2008, Asia-Plus /Victoria Naumova, Avaz Yuldoshev/ -- The second unit of the Russian-built Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) has been tested in free-running regime.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, Rakhmetulla Alzhanov, director general of open joint-stock-company Sangtuda HPP-1, which is building the plant, said that the second unit was launched to be tested in free-running regime Sunday afternoon and it will operate in free-running regime five days. 

As it had been reported earlier, Aleksey Silantyev, the first deputy head of Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric system) power holding, told Asia-Plus on June 20 that the second is supposed to 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.