Uzbekistan intends to build hydropower plants in Tajikistan

AKIPRESS.COM - The working groups of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan discussed a joint construction of a hydropower plant on the Zeravshan river in Tajikistan at a meeting on January 28 in Tashkent, the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan said. "The topic of discussion is draft agreement between the governments of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the order and conditions of participation in construction and operation of the hydropower plants," the Ministry's press service said.
The 140 MW Yavan hydropower plant is expected to be built at first. It is estimated at $282 million. The sides will then consider feasibility of construction of a hydropower plant on the Fandarya river estimated at $270 million.
The hydropower plants are expected to generate up to 1.4 billion kWh of electricity and will be exported to Uzbekistan.
The Presidents of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan discussed participation of Uzbekistan in construction of two hydropower plants in Tajikistan during the talks in August 2018.
Uzbekistan faces shortage of domestically produced electricity and has to import it from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. According to official reports, electricity consumption in Uzbekistan exceeded 60 billion kWh in 2017. The Ministry of Energy projects electricity consumption will exceed 105 billion kWh by 2030.