A statement released by Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s power utility company) yesterday notes that 90 percent of electricity in Tajikistan is generated by hydropower plants and generation volume is closely related to river water flow.

“The reservoir powering the Norak hydropower plant is reportedly filled to its end point.  However, the volume of water inflow is much less compared to last year and the long-term average,” the statement says.  

Therefore, seasonal power shortage is predicted this year as well and the forecast situation reportedly requires regulation of the use of water and energy resources and rational use of electricity by enterprises, organizations and residential customers.

Barqi Tojik also notes that current power interruptions in rural areas are linked to work on overhauling production and transmission infrastructure. 

According to it, the repair work is carryout to prepare energy facilities for the autumn-winter period.   

Meanwhile, residential of rural areas complain that they have not had electricity for several hours daily since September 21.  Local authorities, however, claim that there are no restrictions on electricity consumption in the country.  

In response to widespread public complaints, Barqi Tojik usually says that winter preparation works might have caused interruptions in the electricity power transmission in some areas.

Tajikistan has experienced many years of energy shortages.

Power rationing affects rural areas of the country and it does affect Dushanbe, regional administrative centers and large cities. Residential customers in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), where Pamir Energy Company supplies electricity to consumers, also have an uninterrupted supply of electricity during the autumn-winter period.  

Measures rationing electricity supplies are usually introduced in all regions except Dushanbe and regional administrative centers and they seek to curb the country's rising electricity consumption.  The rationing results in the supply of daily electrical power being reduced to 12 or 10 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.