Power cut problem being resolved in north

Power cuts in Tajikistan's northern Soghd province may soon to be resolved with the construction of an electricity link across the border in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan. Under an agreement signed between the two governments, the move will mitigate power shortages in the industrial region, problematic during winter months when uninterrupted service is currently considered to be a luxury. Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Tajikistan's energy supply system has provided only a quarter of its capacity to local communities and industrial facilities, with an adverse affect on much of the mountainous state. The problem is particularly serious in the north of the country, considered the most industrial part, where electricity demand far exceeds supply. To save power, authorities have imposed special usage periods during the winter. From October to spring, electricity is restricted to two hours in the morning and four in the evening, a policy in effect until late spring when snows begin to thaw and hydroelectric power stations are able to generate more electricity. Under such measures, during the winter residents of northern Tajikistan consume about 6 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day, while during times of uninterrupted service that would rise to 10 million kWh. But with a new power line being extended from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, offering the capacity for an additional 3.6 million kWh per day, the longstanding problem of energy shortages could well be on the way to being resolved, Mukhamadjon Mamadjanov, deputy governor of Soghd province, told IRIN. Speaking at a construction ceremony for the facility, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Nikolay Tanaev remarked: "This is the first integration project between both countries, allowing for the export of electric power from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan, thereby assisting in the regulation of persistent energy supply shortages in numerous districts of Soghd." Rural people in the area have praised the move, recounting how in winter months whole families huddled in one room with a small heater to keep warm. People heat their homes in various ways, with most using briquettes of dung and straw as fuel, while others chop down their fruit trees for wood, an act that only exacerbates economic hardship in the area. Health implications for children are particular strong at this time, according to Navbahor Boymatova, pediatric division superintendent of the children's polyclinic in the northern Tajik city of Khujand. "Our life will change now," Abdurauf-aka, a resident of Ravat village in Kanibadam district, told IRIN. "If we have electricity, we can both heat the house and cook. Furthermore, our ecological problem will be resolved. They won't mercilessly cut down trees anymore." The impact of the new energy source will also offer economic dividends to local businesses - many of which have been forced to use expensive petrol-driven generators during the winter. "If this line is constructed, most of my business problems will be solved. My mini-mill will run continuously and I won't need to think anymore about alternative electricity supplies," Malik Kadirov, a local businessman, told IRIN in Khujand. The construction of the new high-voltage Kanibadam-Batken line, which started in earlier this year, will link the Kanibadam substation on the Tajikistan side with the Aigul-Tash substation on the Kyrgyzstan side using a line more than 53 km long. At a cost of US $10 million, Kyrgyzstan for its part will provide sites for the mounting of pylons. Meanwhile, Khomid Jamolov, head of the construction department of the Soghd government, told IRIN that the building of the line was important to both countries as it would provide regular electricity supplies not just to Soghd, but also to the Kyrgyz border areas of Leilek. At present, construction work is being carried out on three sites concurrently in an effort to expedite completion.