Tajikistan is preparing for another autumn and winter in which electricity demand may outstrip supply. Network losses have fallen, and investment in hydropower continues, but officials say the seasonal imbalance between generation and consumption will persist, reports The Times of Central Asia.
MahmadumarAsozoda, chairman of state-owned power company BarkiTojik, said the imbalance would persist through the colder months. Asked whether electricity rationing would return, he did not rule it out.
Tajikistan generates almost all of its electricity from hydropower, leaving supply tied to seasonal river flows. Output rises during the warmer months, when the country can meet domestic demand and export surplus electricity. In winter, river flows decline as electricity use increases for heating, creating a recurring shortfall.
To cover part of the winter shortfall, Tajikistan plans to import electricity from Uzbekistan again. The two countries use a seasonal exchange: Uzbekistan supplies power in autumn and winter, and Tajikistan returns an equivalent volume during summer. Tajikistan imported 306 million kWh last winter, down from 350 million kWh a year earlier. Asozoda said the countries expect to sign a new agreement.
Imports can ease the shortage, but they do not remove Tajikistan’s dependence on hydropower or the winter drop in output. The seasonal arrangement with Uzbekistan gives Tajikistan access to power when domestic generation is lowest.