DUSHANBE, June 3, Asia-Plus  -- The second unit of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP) should be introduced into operation on June 30. 

Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov remarked this, while speaking at a meeting at the site for construction of the Sangtuda-1 station on June 3.    

According to him, the water levels at the reservoir powering the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS) are now 13 meters lower compared to this date of last year.  “It means that there this probability that electrical power generated by the Norak HPS will not be enough to meet the population’s requirements in electricity even during summer months,” said the prime minister, “I am sure that these electricity deficiencies could be covered due to introduction of the second unit of the Sangtuda-1 station into operation ahead of schedule,”  

He also noted that it would be desirable that they would introduce the third unit into operation by the end of August and the last fourth unit by the end of this year.  

However, weighing arguments of specialists, the meeting participants decided that the third unit will be introduced into operation in October and the fourth one in January 2009.  

We will recall that the first unit of the station was commissioned on January 20, 2008.   The first unit of the Sangtuda-1 plant has a planned capacity of 220 million kWh, and once all four units are completed, the station will have an annual projected capacity of 2.7 billion kWh of electricity.

Russia’s Unified Energy Systems (RAO YeES) retains a 75 percent share in the power plant, which will generate a projected 2.7 billion kWh of electricity per annum.  The power station will have an estimated capacity of 670 MW.