Uzbekistan begins power exports to Tajikistan
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
Uzbekistan began to supply electricity to some cities and regions of northern Tajikistan after a long break, said the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, Usmonali Usmonzoda.
Every day, the northern regions of Tajikistan receive 3 million kWh of Uzbek electricity.
The minister noted that with the arrival of winter cold, the south of Uzbekistan receives 17 million kWh of Tajik electricity each day.
He also declared that Tajikistan plans to export 2 billion kWh of electricity to the south of Uzbekistan from April to October 2019, which is 800 million kWh more than last year.
The Parliament of Tajikistan ratified the agreement signed in November 2018 between the Government of Tajikistan and the Asian Development Bank on the project “Reconnection of energy networks of Tajikistan to the Central Asian energy system”.
For the implementation of the project, ADB allocated $ 35 million as a grant. The money will be spent on synchronizing Tajikistan’s energy networks with the energy systems of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and creating relay network protection systems.
The press service of Uzbekenergo reported in December 2017 that the power systems of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan could work in parallel in 2018 after the restoration of infrastructure, damaged 220 and 500 kV transmission lines in the border areas of Uzbekistan in Khatlon and Soghd regions.
Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were established on October 20, 1992.
Having come to power in December 2016, the current head of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev firmly stated that he intends to improve relations with neighbors. In November 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan announced "deep changes in the Tajik-Uzbek relations".
Since the beginning of 2018, more than 10 checkpoints have opened on the border of the two countries. Uzbekistan has restored the Galab-Amuzang railway line.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Dushanbe with an official visit on March 9-10, 2018. In two days, the President of Tajikistan and the head of Uzbekistan signed over 27 documents. In particular, the parties determined the deadlines for demining the Tajik-Uzbek border, abolished visas and agreed to fully restore air traffic.
It is planned to open air communication between Dushanbe and the Uzbek cities of Bukhara and Samarkand in 2019, where a large number of ethnic Tajiks live.
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are counting on an increase in trade turnover to $ 500 million by 2020.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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