BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 29
By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:
Tajikistan has stopped supplying electricity to Uzbekistan and Afghanistan ahead of the deadline stipulated in joint international agreements, Trend reports citing the press service of Tajik president.
In addition, Tajikistan introduced limits on electricity consumption for the local population. The measures were caused by insufficient water in the Nurek Reservoir.
“Tajikistan faced with snow shortage in the formation zone of the Vakhsh and Panj Rivers during autumn and winter of 2019. Moreover, rainfall was some 50 percent less than in the previous years. This is the first time such a situation has occurred in Tajikistan,” the message said.
The volume of water in Vakhsh and Panj rivers has also halved, with 800 cubic meters and 2,000 cubic meters respectively. The water level in the Nurek Reservoir has dropped by 17 meters compared to 2019.
"If this situation continues, the water reserves in the reservoir will decrease, and in winter there will be serious problems with electricity supply to the population and national economy sectors of Tajikistan," the message said.
The Tajik government hopes that rational use of electricity in summer will prevent possible problems in autumn and winter. Limits for the country's population and the refusal to export electricity have been introduced to reserve water in the Nurek Reservoir.
Earlier, Uzbekistan signed an agreement with Turkmenenergo on electricity supplies due to decline in electricity imports from Tajikistan.
"Due to water shortages in Tajikistan, from July 16, 2020, the import of electricity through L-508 air power transmission line with a capacity of 500 kW, connecting Regar and Surkhan substations was suspended, and the average daily volume of imports fell from 12 million to 0.3 million kWh," the message said.
According to the National Power Grid of Uzbekistan, the sharp drop in imports from the Tajik power grid was initiated because the water supply to Nurek was lower than projected and the water level was low.
"Water shortage also affects the operation of hydroelectric power plants in Uzbekistan, which produce six-seven million kWh of electricity less than contracted volumes, or 10-12 million kWh less than the same period of 2019, which in turn also leads to a shortage of electricity," the message said.
---
Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini