DUSHANBE, February 22, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to pay a working visit to Tajikistan in March.

“President Ahmadinejad will arrive in Tajikistan from Turkmenistan, where he will attend International Navrouz Celebrations on March 21,” Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Hussein Hashimifard, Counselor for Economic Affairs, Iranian Embassy in Dushanbe told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According to him, the main purpose of the visit is for President Ahmadinejad to join Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in officially unveiling second and last unit of the Sangtuda-2 hydroelectric power plant (HPP).

“While in Dushanbe, President Ahmadinejad will also hold talks with President Rahmon to discuss a broad range of issues related to the state and prospects of further expansion of bilateral cooperation between Iran and Tajikistan,” Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Hussein Hashimifard said.

We will recall that the first unit of the plant was introduced into operation on September 5, 2011.  Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended a joint ceremony to unveil the Sangtuda-2 dam and power plant.

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.