DUSHANBE, January 30, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Specialists from Russia’s limited liability company, Bureys-GM, began major repairs to Unit 3 of the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS) today, Nozir Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik power holding, said.

The major repairs are scheduled to be finished in five months, while Russian specialists promise to complete them in three months.

The present water level at the Norak reservoir is 863.49 meters above sea level and only 6.5 meters now remain to the critical level of 857 meters, when operation of the station is prohibited, the spokesman said.  According to him, the present rate of water inflow into the reservoir is 110 cubic meters per second while the rate of reservoir outflow used for production of electricity is 487 cubic meters per second.

The critical situation emerged at the station following Uzbek authorities’ decision to interrupt Turkmen electricity deliveries to Tajikistan that forced the country to keep the Norak station operating at maximum level.  Electricity rationing was introduced even in Dushanbe and electricity supplies to the provinces were reduced even more.