Over the years of cooperation with Tajikistan, the Islamic Development Bank has invested in more than 100 projects amounting to over $900 million, said the President of the group, Dr. Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, Asia-plus reports.
Al Jasser noted that the Islamic Development Bank has a long history of fruitful cooperation with Tajikistan.
"Funding within this cooperation framework amounted to more than $900 million and included over 100 projects," said Al Jasser.
A representative of the Islamic Development Bank expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation with Tajikistan. He emphasized that the bank is currently supporting the Rogun Hydropower Plant construction project, and a corresponding agreement will be signed with the government of Tajikistan.
At the recently held Dushanbe Water Conference, Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser announced that the bank is allocating $150 million for the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant.
The IDB President emphasized that the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant will provide electricity not only to Tajikistan but also to other Central Asian countries.
The news about the IDB's intention to finance the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Plant appeared in April this year. At that time, Tajikistan also approached the World Bank with a request to invest in the construction of the Rogun Hydropower Complex. To date, two units of this hydropower plant are in operation, but Tajikistan needs significant financial resources to continue construction.
The construction of Rogun began during the USSR years, and during the civil war in the now-independent Tajikistan, work was halted. In 2010, the authorities conducted a compulsory-voluntary campaign to sell shares of the hydropower plant among the population, promising to direct these funds to the construction of the facility. Experts then stated that the campaign was non-transparent.
The construction of the facility is being carried out by the Italian company Salini Impregilo SpA. Currently, only two units of the station are operational, and due to the lack of electricity production in the cold season, many regions of Tajikistan experience strict electricity limits.
Speaking before both chambers of parliament on December 28, 2023, President Emomali Rahmon promised that the third unit of the hydropower plant would be commissioned in 2025.
Upon completion, the Rogun Hydropower Plant, with a capacity of 3600 megawatts, will become the largest hydropower plant in Central Asia, doubling electricity production in Tajikistan.
A total of six units are planned to be installed, with each unit having a design capacity of 600 MW. The last unit is scheduled to be launched in 2029, reports the Central Asia News Service.
"In addition to this cooperation, the Arab Development Fund will allocate another $400 million for this project," said Al Jasser.
He expressed confidence that cooperation with Tajikistan would continue to develop and encourage other participants and investors to interact with Dushanbe.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 12, 2024