The country does not have enough water Dams: Tajikistan has started importing electricity
Tajikistan has started importing electricity from neighboring Uzbekistan in an attempt to stabilize the domestic energy supply situation, which has become complicated due to hydrological factors. According to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic, referred to by the local edition of Asia-Plus, currently the volume of supplies is up to two million kilowatt-hours per day. The ministry notes that this indicator can be increased depending on the technical capabilities of the Uzbek energy system, which acts as a key link in regional energy cooperation. In parallel, negotiations are underway on the transit of electricity from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, but the implementation of these plans rests on the capacity of the networks and the need to address a number of technical issues.
The key reason for the deficit was a significant decrease in production at hydroelectric power plants, which form the basis of Tajikistan’s energy sector. The main generating facility of the country – Nurek Dam – faced a shortage of water resources. As of mid-December, the water level in the Nurek reservoir dropped to 902 meters above sea level, which is more than three meters lower than in the same period last year. Experts attribute this to a reduction in the inflow of the Vakhsh River, on which a cascade of seven hydroelectric power stations is located. Due to the lack of water, power engineers were forced to start actively discharging water from the reservoir to generate energy back in September, much earlier than usual, which led to premature depletion of reserves.
The atmospheric precipitation of recent days has brought some relief to the situation. Rains contributed to an increase in the inflow of water into the riverbed of the Vakhsh River, which made it possible to increase internal production. If earlier the daily electricity production in the country fell to 44 million kilowatt-hours, then by mid-December it had increased to 54 million. However, this volume is not yet sufficient to fully cover domestic needs without introducing restrictive measures. In this regard, the limit on the supply of electricity, introduced at the end of September and tightened in November, continues to operate in the republic. The restrictions affected street lighting, which is not strategically important, the operation of energy-intensive equipment, and even charging stations for electric vehicles that turn off during peak hours.
The current crisis has accelerated the processes of Tajikistan’s reintegration into the Unified Energy System of Central Asia. Full-fledged connection to the regional “power ring” is expected in the first quarter of 2026, after the connection of the northern power transmission lines is completed. The restoration of parallel operation of energy systems will allow the countries of the region – Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan – to use a single energy balance. Coordination of flows is carried out by the dispatch center in Tashkent. Such a scheme of work assumes that any participating country can promptly fill the power deficit at the expense of neighbors, however, exceeding the agreed limits of energy extraction is fraught with automatic disconnection from the common network in order to avoid large-scale accidents.
At the moment, the only access to foreign markets for Tajikistan is the 500 kV Regar–Guzar power transmission line connecting the republic with the Uzbek power grid. It is through this channel that the current flows are carried out. The authorities expect that the combination of imports, precipitation and austerity of resources will make it possible to pass the winter period with minimal losses for the economy and the population, although residents of a number of regions continue to report long blackouts, and the schedule of energy supply for household consumers remains limited to morning and evening hours.
Original (in Russian): Стране ГЭС не хватает воды: Таджикистан начал импорт электроэнергии
