DUSHANBE, January 17, 2012, Asia-Plus -- Open joint-stock company (OJSC) Sangtudinskaya GES-1, which operates the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectricity power plant (HPP), plans to recover debts from Barqi Tojik power holding (the state-owned utility responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Tajikistan) judicially.

In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the head of Tajikistan’s Higher Economic Court, Amirkhoja Ghoibnazarov, revealed on January 17 that OJSC Sangtudinskaya GES-1 filed a lawsuit in the Higher Economic Court asking to recover 5 million somoni from Barqi Tojik.

Sangtudinskaya GES-1 top manager Gennady Rugin has confirmed this information.  He, however, refrained from explaining why they have filed only 5 million somoni lawsuit, while Barqi Tojik now owes more than 200 million somoni to Sangtudinskaya GES-1.   

Russia’s Inter RAO YeES and the Ministry of Energy and Industries of Tajikistan signed an agreement on the establishment of Russian-Tajik OJSC Sangtudinskaya GES-1 in Dushanbe on February 16, 2005.  The company was established to complete the construction of the Sangtuda-1 hydroelectric power plant (HPP).

The Sangtuda-1 HPP is located on the Vakhsh River.  Construction commenced during the Soviet period in the 1980s, but halted in the beginning of the 1990s due to lack of financing when the station was about 20% complete.  An agreement with Russia allowed restarting the construction, with four units entering service in 2008–2009.  The plant was officially commissioned on July 31, 2009.  The plant now reportedly provides around 15% of Tajikistan''s electricity output.