On the morning of November 20, a ceremony marking the commissioning of three modernized hydro-units at the Qayroqqum hydroelectric power plant (HPP) took place in Guliston, Sughd province. The event was attended by President Emomali Rahmon.

According to the Tajik president's official website, this marks the full modernization of all six hydro-units and other equipment at the plant. As a result, the plant's installed capacity has increased by 60 MW.

The modernization project, carried out with the support of international partners and involving both domestic and foreign specialists, included the replacement of machinery hall equipment, turbine and hydro-unit control systems, seven transformers, and other key components of the station.

The Qayroqqum HPP has six hydro-units, with the last unit having been commissioned in 1956, initially with a capacity of 21 MW. After nearly 70 years of operation, the equipment had significantly deteriorated, and the capacity of the units dropped to 12 MW. Modernization began in 2019, and all units have now been fully updated, increasing each unit’s capacity to 29 MW.

Following the launch of the three hydro-units, President Rahmon also launched the construction of two large-scale energy projects — solar power plants in Sughd’s Asht district and Jaihoun district of Khatlon province, with a total capacity of 500 MW.

Both projects are being implemented with government support in collaboration with domestic and foreign companies. The total cost of these projects is $250 million.

Once completed, these projects are expected to significantly improve electricity access for the population.