DUSHANBE, January 8, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Barqi Tojik (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) now owes 133 million somoni (equivalent to some 27.8 U.S. dollars) to the Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power plant (HPP), according to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR).

As of January 1, 2013, Tajik power holding reportedly owed only 12 million U.S. dollars to the power plant, built with the help of Iranian specialists 

The Sangtuda-2 HPP has reportedly demanded that Barqi Tojik gradually repay its debt, otherwise the power plant station will stop power generation.

“The Iranian side has agreed to set the schedule of gradual repayment of the debt and receive at least 3 million somoni per month,” an official source at a MoEWR told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Mr. Sayed Asghari, head of the office of Iran’s Sangab in Tajikistan, has refrained from clarifying the situation and asked to apply to Barqi Tojik.

We will recall that the first unit of the plant was introduced into operation on September 5, 2011.  Tajik and Iranian presidents attended a joint ceremony to unveil the Sangtuda-2 dam and power plant.  This 110 MW unit does not yet operate in full capacity

Construction of Sangtuda-2, a 220-megawatt plant on the Vakhsh River, officially commenced in February 2006.  It is located some 120 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe.

Iran, which has put some 180 million U.S. dollars into the construction of the hydropower station, will operate it for the next 12 years and then transfer control to Tajikistan, whose contribution to the construction costs amounted to around 40 million U.S. dollars.

The power plant is expected to help alleviate power shortages in Tajikistan during autumn-winter period.