By the end of 2024, seven other solar power plants with a total capacity of 5.3 MW will be introduced into operation in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), says the press center of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR). The plants will be installed in the villages of Alichor, Bashgumbez, Bulunkul, Chechekde, Oktal and Mamadzoir of Murgab district and in Khargushi of Ishkashim district.

These areas will be electrified as part of the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project (TREP). 

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project on July 11, 2019.  In total, the project aims to supply electricity in two stages to 62 remote villages in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, most of which are located in Murgab district.

Villages in Murgab district are spaced 150-200 kilometers apart, making the construction of energy facilities in these regions costly.  However, alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind power stations, have proven effective in high-altitude areas.

Work on the project began in November 2019 and is expected to be completed by December 2025.  The first phase of the project was completed in 2021, during which 27 villages and 1,114 households gained access to electricity through new power lines and transformer stations.

The second phase, which began in 2021, plans to build autonomous energy grids using solar panels and wind turbines. As a result, 1,928 residents of remote villages in GBAO’s Murgab, Rushan, Darvaz, Vanj, and Roshtqala are expected to receive electricity.

During this time, Pamir Energy plans to construct 13 hydropower plants, 30 solar power plants with batteries, and one wind power station with a capacity of 200 kW. The total capacity of all these facilities will be 14 MW.

Recall, Tajikistan's first solar power plant was launched in GBAO’s Murgab district in 2020. This solar plant is a direct result of successful cooperation between the Government of Tajikistan, USAID, and Pamir Energy Company. The solar power plant has a capacity of 200 kW.  The Murgab solar power plant operates in parallel with another renewable energy source, the existing Tajikistan hydro-power plant.  These two clean energy plants ensure that nearby villages and communities have access to regular electricity supply all year round.

It is to be noted that the potential of solar energy in Tajikistan is reportedly quite high.  The country is located between 36°40′ and 41°05′ north latitude.  Meteorologists call this zone a “golden belt” of sunshine.  According to the Agency of Hydrometeorology of Tajikistan (Hydromet), the duration of sunshine in the country is 2100-3166 hours per year, and the number of sunny days per year ranges from 260 to 300.  This provides great opportunities for the use of solar power as an alternative.  The estimated potential of solar energy in Tajikistan is about 25 billion kWh / year.  This potential is not used, if not to take into account some of its use for water heating.  In Tajikistan, the share of solar energy is less than one percent

Meanwhile, the potential for wind is relatively unknown, but some sources’ estimates of its energy production are promising, with the forecasted figure standing at 30 billion-100 billion kWh per year, effectively rivaling the production of some hydropower plants.

Adopted on September 30, 2022, the Green Economy Strategy (Strategy) highlights effective use of green energy and ensuring energy efficiency as one of its 12 priority areas.  The Strategy aims to increase the country's renewable energy production capacity (solar, wind, and bioenergy) by 10% by the end of its implementation.  By 2037, the share of facilities, built in accordance with green construction principles, should be 80% of the total volume of construction. 

Currently, about 98% of generated electric power in Tajikistan comes from hydropower plants.  Along with the positive environmental and financial aspects of this indicator, it significantly increases the energy sector’s dependence on the volume of water flow in rivers and weather conditions in the face of climate change.