Exactly 17 years ago, on January 20, 2008, Sangtuda HPP-1 produced the first industrial current. On this day, the first hydraulic unit of this station with a capacity of 167 megawatts (MW) was put into operation – almost two months earlier than planned. Since then, the station has generated about 34.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity.

The ceremonial commissioning of the hydroelectric power station as part of all four hydraulic units with the participation of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the then head of Russia Dmitry Medvedev took place a year and a half later – on July 31, 2009.

All four hydraulic units of Sangtuda HPP-1 with a capacity of 167.5 MW were manufactured and delivered to the station by OJSC «Power Machines» – a leading Russian manufacturer of energy equipment.

OJSC «Sangtuda HPP-1» is a joint Tajik-Russian enterprise, in which Russia’s share is 75% minus 1 share, and Tajikistan’s share is – 25% plus 1 share.

The reservoir of Sangtuda HPP-1 filled to the design level of the normal retaining level (571.5 meters) in early November 2010.

The station is currently second in installed capacity (670 MW) in Tajikistan only to the Nurek hydroelectric power station (3000 MW). This station is the fifth stage of the Vakhsh cascade of hydroelectric power stations. That is, above Sangtuda-1 along the Vakhsh River there are only Baipazinskaya and Nurekskaya stations, if you miss the still unfinished Rogun hydroelectric power station.

The station is located in the Dangara district of the Khatlon region, 110 km south of Dushanbe.

It provides 10% of the total electricity generation in the republic.

Unauthorized charity

The only buyer of Sangtuda-1 electricity is «Barki Tojik», which has been supplied with about 34.7 billion kWh of electricity since the launch of the first unit of the hydroelectric complex.

At the same time, the station cannot function at full capacity due to the inability «Barki tojik» to sell the energy produced.

The energy holding annually receives up to 2 billion kWh of electricity from this station, although in accordance with the purchase and sale agreement, the annual volume of electricity supply should be 2.7 million kWh.

The company’s management has repeatedly complained that «Barki Tojik» will not be allowed to exercise their rights to sell electricity under direct contracts and to export it independently.

These rights are enshrined in agreements between the governments of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Russian Federation on the procedure and conditions for the Russian Federation’s share participation in the construction of the Sangtuda HPP-1 and on cooperation in the operation of this station.

In addition, «Barki Tojik» chronically cannot cope with timely and full payment for the station’s electricity, even in these volumes. The average level of payment from OJSC «Barki Tojik» in general for all years from the moment of launch is 59%.

The debt «Barki tojik» to Sangtuda HPP-1 as of December 31, 2024 amounted to 3 billion 26 million somoni (about $298 million).

Explanations «Barki tojik»

In «Barki Tojik» these claims were responded to by the lack of external markets for electricity and their financial insolvency.

«The current state of affairs regarding the utilization of available capacity and payment for the actual volumes of electricity supplies to Sangtuda HPP-1 in the summer is caused by the forced isolated operation of the energy system of the Republic of Tatarstan from the United Energy System of Central Asia and the impossibility of exporting electricity to external regional markets. These circumstances and the current difficult financial condition of UAHC «Barki Tojik» did not allow for full and timely payment for current electricity supplies», management «Barki Tojik» noted earlier.

The main reason for the formation of a debt to the station in «Barki Tojik» is explained by the fact that the cost of electricity from this station is higher than the average tariff for consumers.

The energy produced by this station in the summer is exported by the energy holding to Afghanistan at a cost of more than 4.5 cents per kilowatt.

However, existing power lines limit the volume of supplies to this neighboring country. And there are no other such profitable external markets for electricity yet.

As a result, the station is forced to carry out idle water discharge in large volumes in the summer.

In the winter, as noted in «Barki Tojik», receiving electricity from Sangtuda HPP-1 at a higher cost, the holding is forced to sell it to consumers at a relatively low cost.

«This leads to the formation of debt and, consequently, to a deterioration in the financial position of the company», – the holding concludes.

Pairav Chorshanbiev (Asia-Plus)