DUSHANBE, February 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Kazakhstan may participate in construction of Roghun HPP but only after international examination of feasibility study for completing the construction of this hydropower facility, Kazakh Ambassador to Tajikistan Abutalip Akhmetov remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on February 11.

According to him, participation of Kazakhstan in the Roghun hydroelectricity project depends on the Tajik side.  “The Government of Tajikistan has decided to construct this facility on its own,” said Kazakh diplomat, “However, if the Government of Tajikistan invites us to participate in the examination or construction of this facility, Kazakhstan is ready to accept this proposal.”

He noted that Kazakh authorities are respectful to construction of the Roghun HPP, supporting Tajikistan in that issue.    

We will recall that the World Bank has assisted the Government of Tajikistan in developing the Terms of Reference (TOR) for both the techno-economic and environmental and social studies.  Developing the TOR involved consultations with all riparian countries, which were conducted in 2008-2009. The TOR will be shared with stakeholders.

In the meantime, Ambassador Akhmetov noted that a Tajik-Kazakh joint investment fund will start operations in Tajikistan within the next few days.  “This fund will allow implementing energy ad construction projects in Tajikistan, he said.

The fund has authorized capital of 100 million U.S. dollars and Kazakhstan provided 80 percent of the money for the fund.

As it had been reported earlier, the sides agreed to set up a joint investment fund of US$100 million that will be used to invest in projects in Tajikistan during Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s visit to Tajikistan in September 2007.  It was noted that the fund would give priority to the economic areas that were of interest to both countries: electric power generation, agriculture, the mining industry, and other important spheres of the economy.  An agreement on establishment of the Tajik-Kazakh joint investment fund was signed during President Rahmon’s visit to Kazakhstan in May 2008.