Dushanbe, 29 November 2011. The delegation of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) headed by Kambar Shalgimbayev, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board, which is on an official visit in Dushanbe, had negotiations today with Tajikistan’s Prime Minister Akil Akilov.
The Tajik side in the negotiations was also represented by Minister of Finance Safarali Najimiddinov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zaripov, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Farrukh Khamraliev, Minister of Energy and Industry Sherali Gul, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Investment and Management of State Property Amonjon Eshonkulov, Chairman of the National Bank Sharif Rahimzoda, Chairman of the Barki Tojik National Energy Company Abdullo Yerov, and Senior Advisor to the President of Tajikistan on Economic Policy Negmatjon Buriev.
The parties discussed the prospects for the EDB’s investment activities in Tajikistan, including within the EurAsEC Anti-crisis Fund (ACF). They focused, in particular, on the possibility of raising funds from the Bank and ACF to rehabilitate the Nurek hydropower plant.
The Nurek plant supplies 75% of Tajikistan’s demand for electricity and needs urgent rehabilitation, including the modernisation of its permanent and auxiliary equipment with advanced technologies.
The equipment that needs modernisation includes the power and hydro-mechanical equipment and control, automation and diagnostic systems. This 3,000 MW plant was commissioned in 1972 and its most recent unit in 1979.
In 2010, the Tajik Government listed this project among the top priority energy projects for
2010-2015. Its estimated cost is about US $300 million. One of the financing options discussed was raising an investment loan from ACF with the placement of orders for permanent and auxiliary equipment with enterprises from the EurAsEC member states.
