DUSHANBE, August 14, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI) and Chinese China Theban Electric Apparatus Stock Co LTD (CTEAS) are expected to sign an agreement on construction of the Sangvor hydroelectric power plant (HPP) on the Khingob River in the Rasht Valley (eastern Tajikistan) in the near future.

The source at a MoEI said that the agreement will be probably signed during the upcoming official visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Tajikistan.  

The issue of participation of the Chinese company in implementation of this hydroelectricity project was discussed during the fourth session of the Tajik-Chinese intergovernmental commission for economic and trade cooperation was held in Beijing on June 24-25 and the sides signed a memorandum of cooperation.  

“Under this document, the Chinese side will work out feasibility study for the project, which is supposed to be implemented in a form of BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer), wherein company receives a concession from the public sector to finance, design, construct, and operate a facility for a specified period; after the concession period ends, ownership is transferred back to the granting entity,” the source said.  

The Sangvor HPP is expected to have the rate capacity of 800 megawatt with usable storage of 1.5 billion cubic meters.  

            In the meantime, the MFA said that Chinese working group had arrived in Tajikistan to discuss preparation of the official visit of President Hu Jintao to Tajikistan and his participation at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) due on August 28.