International donors start financing the Rogun Dam project

The Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Juma announced the entry into force of a number of agreements with international partners on financing the construction of the Rogun Dam on the Vakhsh River. The corresponding statement was made by the head of the department today during a press conference in Dushanbe, Asia Plus reports. According to him, to start implementing the agreements signed in 2024-2025, it was necessary to fulfill certain conditions, which took some time.

In December last year, part of the agreements came into force, which opened access to project financing from external sources. The Minister stressed that the receipt of funds will speed up construction work in 2026 and ensure the commissioning of the third hydroelectric unit of the station on time. Previously, the launch of this unit was planned for September 2025, but later the deadline was shifted to September 2027.

At the current stage, the work at the facility is fully financed from the country’s internal resources. As previously reported by the leadership of the republic, the total amount of agreements with development partners exceeds $ 2 billion. This package includes grants from the World Bank in the amount of $ 650 million, loans from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in the amount of $ 500 million, funds from the Islamic Development Bank and Arab funds in the amount of $ 450 million, as well as a grant from the Qatar Development Fund in the amount of $ 50 million. In addition, negotiations are underway to attract another $ 1.7 billion.

Since the beginning of the project in 2008, over 48.1 billion somoni have been allocated from the state budget and other sources for the construction of the Rogun Dam. The total cost of completion is estimated at 6.4 billion dollars. The state budget of Tajikistan for 2026 provides about 15 billion somoni for the development of the fuel and energy complex, which is equivalent to more than $ 1.6 billion. The main part of these funds is intended for the completion of the hydroelectric power station.

The reserves of the financial regulator are also involved in supporting the strategic project. The Lower House of the Parliament of Tajikistan has adopted a bill authorizing the use of funds from the reserve fund of the National Bank of Tajikistan to finance construction through the state budget. We are talking about transferring the balance of the fund’s funds in the amount of 916 million somoni (about $ 100 million), formed based on the results of the National Bank’s activities for 2024.

According to the Ministry of Energy, the readiness of the facility is almost 60%. The height of the dam has reached 151 meters, which corresponds to 1116 meters above sea level. Two temporary units of the Rogun Dam, already put into operation, have generated a total of 9.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity as of the end of 2024.

Original (in Russian): Международные доноры приступают к финансированию проекта Рогунской ГЭС