Tajikistan rapidly building Rogun HPS to achieve energy stability

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The construction of the Rogun Hydroelectric Power Station (HPS) will provide a sufficient amount of electricity to address the winter deficit in Tajikistan, according to the "Updated Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the Rogun HPS" project, Asia Plus reports.

The document, intended for consultations, notes that the current energy supply in Tajikistan is seasonal, with an excess in summer and a deficit in winter, affecting rural and remote areas where 70% of the population resides, as emphasized by the document published on the website of OJSC "Rogun HPS."

The updated assessment highlights that the construction of the Rogun reservoir will be completed entirely by 2029. Each year, the reservoir will be gradually filled within the limits of water distribution among the countries in the region, reaching its maximum level by 2036.

It is known that the Rogun HPS will operate at full capacity only after the reservoir is filled to the maximum mark. The document emphasizes that the total installed capacity of the Rogun HPS will be 3600 MW.

It is expected that after the station is fully operational, the annual electricity generation will be approximately 17 billion kilowatt-hours.

The Rogun HPS project includes a dam with a height of 335 meters, a reservoir about 80 km long and 4 km wide, as well as corresponding hydropower turbines, power transmission lines, and infrastructure.

The expected service life of this station is 115 years. The multi-year regulation reservoir will allow the accumulation and discharge of water downstream to mitigate water shortages in dry years.

The Rogun dam is designed for the maximum probable flood and will help protect the cascade downstream during flood conditions.

Brief history of the project: The Rogun HPS project was developed in the 1960s.

The final decision on construction was made in 1980, and major construction work began in 1982.

In 1993, due to flooding, construction drainage tunnels were clogged with sediments, and the cofferdam was destroyed.

In May 2008, the government of Tajikistan announced the resumption of HPS construction.

Limited construction and operational work continued until 2011, after which technical and economic feasibility studies (TEO) were initiated and completed in 2014.

The TEO confirmed the feasibility of designing, constructing, and operating the hydroelectric power station.

The commissioning of the first of the 6 hydro units at Rogun on low power took place in 2018, the second in 2019.

It is expected that the last unit will be commissioned in 2029.

CentralasianLIGHT.org

January 18, 2024