The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan reported that the French company CARPI Tech has expressed a desire to take part in priority projects in the country’s energy sector. This statement was made at a meeting of the ministry’s leadership with company representatives on February 19. The company, in particular, is interested in the construction of hydroelectric power stations on the Zarafshon River.
During the meeting, representatives of CARPI Tech spoke about the company’s activities, its potential, international experience and implemented projects, in particular in the construction of hydroelectric dams in various countries of the world. While emphasizing its commitment to «green» technologies, the company may not be aware of the damage that could be caused to the region’s ecology as a result of the implementation of such projects.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, the potential of the Zarafshon River, together with its tributaries – the Matcha and Fondarya rivers, is estimated at 33.94 billion kWh per year. 13 sites have been identified that are promising for the construction of dam hydroelectric power stations with reservoirs. The length of the river is 877 km, and the catchment area – 12.3 thousand km². These numbers may impress investors, but they conceal a potential threat to the river’s unique ecosystem.
In 2018, the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan entered into agreements on the procedure and conditions for equity participation in the construction and operation of hydroelectric power stations in the Zarafshon River basin. The document provides for the joint construction of two hydroelectric power stations with a total capacity of 320 MW. The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan previously informed that the construction of hydroelectric power stations will be carried out in stages: first, the Javan hydroelectric power station (estimated cost – $282 million, capacity – 140 MW, generation – 700-800 million kWh of electricity), then, possibly, a hydroelectric power station on the Fondarya River (estimated cost – $270 million, capacity – 135 MW, generation – 500-600 million kWh of electricity). It is planned that the project will be financed from borrowed and grant funds of international financial organizations, as well as the parties’ own funds invested in the Charter Fund of the jointly created enterprise. It is stated that the constructed hydroelectric power stations will generate up to 1,400 million kWh «environmentally friendly» electricity exclusively for the needs of Uzbekistan. Also, the project is said to help support the peak capacity of the unified energy system and create additional jobs, as well as the flow of electricity to other regions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on a parity basis. However, the «environmentally friendly» electricity generated by the construction of hydroelectric power plants often has serious consequences for the environment: flooding of land, changes in the hydrological regime of the river, disruption of fish migration and degradation of ecosystems.
CARPI Tech, founded in 1963, has extensive experience in waterproofing and protecting hydraulic structures using synthetic geomembranes. The company claims to develop and use dozens of innovative technologies, having implemented hundreds of projects around the world. However, even the most advanced technologies cannot completely eliminate the negative impact of hydraulic engineering on the environment. Interference with the natural flow of the Zarafshon River, with its unique flora and fauna, can lead to irreversible consequences that are probably not fully taken into account when planning the construction of hydroelectric power stations.
