DUSHANBE, October 24, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Some 60 percent of a 500-kV power grid South-North, linking power systems of southern and northern regions of the country, has been constructed so far, the power grid construction project manager Qurbonali Teshayev said in an interview with Asia-Plus.   

According to him, they have also built more than 60 percent of two substations of this power grid – “Regar” in Tursunzoda and “Khujand” in Khujand.    

The projects provides for construction of three substations in Dushanbe, Tursunzoda and Khujand, Teshaeyv said.

As it had been reported earlier, Barqi Tojik (Tajik electric system)holding company  and Chinese power company China Theban Electric Apparatus Stock Co (CTEAS) signed two contracts worth totaling US$340 million on the construction of high-voltage electricity transmission lines in Tajikistan.  The documents were inked y Sharifkhon Samiyev, Barqi Tojik director general, and Lee Biang, top manager of the CTEAS company, which is the general contractor of the project, in Dushanbe on April 19, 2006. 

The sides agreed to build a 500-kW 350-kilometer electricity transmission line South-North linking power systems of southern and northern regions and a 220-kW 93-kilometer line Lolazor-Khatlon in the Khatlon province.   

The projects are worth $281 million and $59 million, respectively.

The total budget for these projects is US$349 million; of this amount, a US$340 million loan (95 percent of a total amount) will be provided by China’s Exim (Export Import) Bank,  and the Tajik Government will finance 5 percent of the projects’ values.

Construction of the power grid South-North officially commenced on September 16, 2006.  The grid will be capable to transmit up to 8 billion kWh of electrical power per year.