DUSHANBE, 17.11.2018 /NIAT “Khovar”/. Cyril Muller, World Bank Regional Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, has attended yesterday, November 16 launch ceremony of “Roghun” HPP first unit – an important milestone for the energy sector of Tajikistan and made speech, NIAT “Khovar” special correspondents report from the scene.

According to him, the “Roghun” hydropower plant (HPP), if embedded into broader reforms and a sound macro-fiscal framework, could create greater prosperity for the people of Tajikistan.

“Roghun can be a source of much needed, inexpensive, renewable and reliable energy for the people of Tajikistan. It can also be an important source of energy exports that can generate revenues for other critical investments in human capital to help transform Tajikistan’s economy and create the foundation for a prosperous future,” said Vice President Cyril Muller.

It should be mentioned that the World Bank is not funding Roghun, it financed assessment studies for this project in 2014. The studies concluded that Roghun could put Tajikistan on a trajectory of inclusive and sustainable growth. The hydro facility could also serve as the foundation for a regional energy market spanning from Central to South and East Asia, fostering collaboration among neighbors on vital regional issues, such as water resource management across the entire Amu Darya Basin. The studies showed that Roghun had the potential to increase the sustainability of the entire cascade along the Vakhsh River and extend the existing Norak hydropower plant’s expected life span by about a century, by removing sedimentation.

“Given Tajikistan’s long history of power outages, particularly during the cold winter months, Tajikistan’s energy sector has been a priority area of engagement for the World Bank, — noted S. Muller. — Its current investments in the sector stand at US $ 415 million, supporting Tajikistan’s efforts in: rehabilitating the Norak hydropower plant; advancing its ability to export surplus energy through the CASA-1000 transmission network to neighboring markets in South Asia; and implementing broader energy reforms”.

According to the World Bank Regional Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, in combination, these interventions aim at supporting the sector’s sustainability, eliminating seasonal energy rationing, and ensuring an affordable and stable electricity supply to families and businesses.

We will recall that this year, Tajikistan and the World Bank Group are marking 25 years of partnership. During this time, the World Bank provided over US $ 1.4 billion in IDA grants, highly concessional credits and trust funds to Tajikistan. The World Bank Group is committed to continuing its support to the country, as it strives to improve the lives and meet the aspirations of its young and growing population.