DUSHANBE, March 27, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The Sarez hydroelectric power plant (HPP) the Uzbek specialists propose to built in Tajikistan instead of the Roghun station cannot be alternative to the Roghun hydroelectricity project (HEP), known Tajik specialist in energy Georgy Petrov said in an interview, commenting on report released by REGNUM.

Petrov noted that according to specialists’ accounts, the estimated capacity of the Sarez HPP would be 150 megawatt.  “The Qairoqqum HPP in northern Tajikistan has practically the same capacity and it is able to generate some 600-800 million kWh of electrical power per year, while the 3,600 MWt Roghun hydroelectric plant is to generate 13 billion kWh of electrical power per year,” the expert said, adding that Tajikistan’s power deficiencies are some 4.5 billion kWh of electricity.

Besides, the cost of construction of the power plant at Lake Sarez will be very high because they will have to construct the station in almost inaccessible area.  “It will be also necessary to construct power transmission line in Gorno Badakhshan, where there are no customers for the station with capacity of 150 MWt,” said Petrov, “For example when hydropower plants were built on the Vakhsh River, their cost was at the rate of US$700 per one kW, while construction of the Pamir-1 HPP in Gorno Badakhshan came to US$3,500 per one kW.”

He agreed that construction of the Sarez HPP might promote gradually lowering the water level at the lake and thereby mitigate the risk of an outburst flood from Lake Sarez.  However, these problems are not connected with the Roghun HEP, Petrov added.

“We should construct the Roghun station and seek solution to the Lake Sarez problem,” the expert said, noting that various projects to solve the Lake Sarez problem are under consideration.  Tajik specialists proposed to construct the Dashtijum HHP on the Panj River with a large reservoir, which even in case of  outburst flood from Lake Sarez will be able to catch the lake’s water and thereby prevent disaster in the downstream, including Uzbekistan, Georgy Petrov said.