DUSHANBE, April 9, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Now one may say with confidence that electricity rationing is ended in the regions officially, an official source at Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) told Asia-Plus Monday morning.

“Current water flow in the Vakhsh River is now more than 700 cubic meters cubic meters per second,” said the source.  “Besides, consumption of electricity by residential customers has considerably reduced.”

We will recall that regular electricity supply was launched in the regions in test regime in early April.

In the spring and summer, Tajikistan’s hydropower plants generate a huge amount of electricity that is exported to neighboring countries, but in the autumn and winter, especially if the summer was dry and water levels in reservoirs are low, electricity rationing is introduced in the country.

As it had been reported earlier, Barqi Tojik announced on October 13, 2011 the imposition of a new rationing for electricity supplies throughout the country.  The rationing reportedly went into effect in the regions, with the exception of the capital Dushanbe and other large cities of the country.

Meanwhile, electricity rationing was introduced in Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd province on February 10 following the city’s rising electricity consumption.  Restrictions have not affected ‘strategic sites’ such as hospitals, airport, industrial enterprises, schools and kindergartens.  On March 12, rotational power cutoffs were introduced in the city.  The city was divided into several sectors and electricity supply to them is cut off alternately for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.

Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and seek to curb the country''s rising electricity consumption.  The rationing is introduced in October or November and lasts through March or April next year.  The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 12 or 10 hours.  In addition to curbing rising consumption, the move also stems from a decline in the water level in the country''s reservoirs powering the main hydroelectric power plants.