Tajikistan and the Russian Federation settle debts to Sangtuda Dam
The authorities of Tajikistan and Russia have reached an agreement in principle on the settlement of arrears for electricity supplies to the Sangtudinskaya Dam-1 joint venture, the parties are working on drafting appropriate additions to the intergovernmental agreement. This was announced to journalists at a press conference by the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Juma, answering a question from TASS.
“Naturally, very intensive negotiations and discussions have been held over the past few years regarding the situation with the Sangtuda Dam-1. <...> The parties have come to an agreement in principle, we have settled all the main points in principle. Now we are working on the creation of a draft [document] to supplement the intergovernmental agreement,” he said.
Juma did not disclose the details of the agreements, but expressed hope that an addendum to the agreement would be signed in the near future.
“This project is important for both Tajikistan and the Russian Federation. 12% of the total energy generated [in Tajikistan] is provided by this power plant, so it is very important for us,” the minister stressed.
JSC Sangtudinskaya Dam-1 is a joint Russian-Tajik enterprise established in 2005. The share of the Russian Federation in the authorized capital is 75% minus one share, Tajikistan — 25% plus one share. The hydroelectric power station with a capacity of 670 MW is located on the Vakhsh River in the Khatlon region of Tajikistan.
Earlier, the Russian Ambassador to Dushanbe, Semyon Grigoriev, in an interview with TASS, informed that the only buyer of electricity produced by the Sangtuda Dam-1 is the state energy holding Barki Tojik, which throughout the entire period of operation of the station does not fully pay the cost of the generated energy. He noted that the search for a solution meets the interests of the two countries, and also that it is important to find “an economic solution to the issue.”
The website of the joint venture reports that at the end of December 2024, Barki Tojik’s debt to the Dam exceeded 3.25 billion somoni (almost $299 million).
