, April 11, Asia-Plus - On Saturday April 8, President Emomali Rahmonov received visiting head of “Russian Aluminum” (RusAl) board of directors, Oleg Deripaska. 

Their talks focused on a progress of implementation of RusAl-sponsored projects in Tajikistan .   

Aleksandr Kasatkin, a spokesman for the RusAl representative office in Tajikistan, told Asia-Plus Deripaska had been in Tajikistan for working visit and during his meeting with President Rahmonov he had effectuated presentation of the preliminary feasibility study for completing the construction of the Roghun hydropower plant in Tajikistan.  At the same time, Mr. Kasatkin noted, “A format of his meeting with President Rahmonov did not stipulate making of final decisions on technical parameters of the project.”  “It was just a regular working meeting, during which the two exchanged views on a progress of implementation of the RusAl plans in Tajikistan ,” Kasatkin noted.  

The RusAl representative office in Tajikistan has denied report released by some Tajik media that the sides allegedly came to an agreement on a type of dam of the Roghun station as “unfounded”.  

“Issues related to height and type of the dam are the key engineering decisions and may be determined only after completion of the feasibility study for the station,” stressed Kasatkin, “On April 6 2006, German’s Lehmeyer International presented to specialists from RusAl and Tajik Energy Ministry the preliminary feasibility study for the Roghun station and Lehmeyer Internal was recommended to prepare additional information on a number of issues.” 

The RusAl representation spokesman expressed hope that all technical issues connected with the beginning of work on construction of the Roghun station would be solved soon.

We will recall that under agreements announced during Russian President Vladimir Putin''s visit to Tajikistan on October16 2004, RusAl was slated to invest in the construction of the Roghun hydropower plant.  The Roghun station will be capable to generate 13.1 kWh of electric power a year.