The supply of daily electrical power has reportedly been increased for residential customers in rural areas by one more hour.

According to Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national integrated power company), the supply of daily electrical power was increased in rural areas by one hour yesterday, residential customers in rural areas now have electricity eleven hours per day – five hours in the morning (from 5:00 am to 10:00 am) and six hours in the evening (from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm).

The power rationing was reportedly alleviated due to introduction of the second line of the Dushanbe-2 combined heat and power (CHP) plant into operation.

The second line of the Dushanbe-2 CHP plant was introduced into operation on December 8 increasing the plant’s capacity to 400 megawatt.

Recall, the supply of daily electrical power was increased by three hours in rural areas to ten hours on December 9.

Electricity rationing was introduced in rural areas of Tajikistan on November 1.

Electricity rationing has not affected Dushanbe, regional administrative centers and large cities.

The power rationing has also not affected the majority of districts of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO).  In GBAO, Tajikistan’s only private power company, Pamir Energy Company (Pamir Energy), operates.  This company is responsible for electricity deliveries in the region and the majority of districts in Gorno Badakhshan now have regular power supply.

Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and seek to curb the country's rising electricity consumption.  The rationing is introduced in October or November and lasts through March or April next year.  The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 10 or 8 hours.  In addition to curbing rising consumption, the move also stems from a decline in the water level in the country's reservoirs powering the main hydroelectric power plants.