The Saudi Development Fund will continue financing the construction of the Rogun Hydroelectric Power Station in Tajikistan and is interested in its speedy completion as this project will have a positive impact on the ecology and development of the region, said Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, the CEO of the fund, after a meeting with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon in Dushanbe, TASS reports.
"The Rogun project is considered the most important in the region because, in the future, it will generate electricity <...> and will make a worthy contribution not only to the development of Tajikistan but also to the countries in the region. <...> We will continue our financing of this project jointly with other donors and funds, in this project and other projects of interest to Tajikistan. In the future, we will strive to ensure that this project is implemented as soon as possible with our financing and other development partners," he said on Tajikistan's TV channel.
The head of the fund noted that the "project will also contribute to preventing the negative consequences of climate change," and therefore, the fund attaches great importance to it. "I informed the president that, in the future, along with the Rogun HPP project, the Saudi Development Fund will participate in the implementation of other vital projects for Tajikistan," Al-Marshad explained.
President Rahmon held a meeting with the head of the fund at the Palace of the Nation in Dushanbe, the press service of the President of Tajikistan announced. During the meeting, they discussed the development of the green economy. President Tajikistan stated that an increase in funding from the fund is necessary for the republic. "Increasing the amount of funds is necessary for the implementation of important infrastructure projects in the country, including in the fields of education, healthcare, and transportation," Rahmon's press service quoted him as saying.
In November of this year, Rahmon visited Riyadh, where he held meetings with several high-ranking officials from Saudi Arabia. At that time, the parties were considering the creation of a joint fund between the two countries to finance small and medium-sized projects. Saudi Arabia supports Tajikistan in several projects, including the announcement in October of the allocation of $20 million by the Kingdom for the construction of schools, as reported by the Ministry of Finance of Tajikistan. In November, the "Khovar" agency, citing the ambassador of the Kingdom in Dushanbe, Valid ibn Abdurahman al-Rishaidan, reported the allocation of $100 million for the construction of the Rogun HPP.
The Rogun HPP is located 110 km from Dushanbe on the Vakhsh River and is considered the largest in the region. Construction began in 1976, but after the collapse of the USSR, it was mothballed. Later, Tajikistan resumed work on the construction of the HPP, with two of the planned six units with a capacity of 600 MW each launched so far.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 5, 2023