DUSHANBE, November 8, Asia-Plus - Tajikistan is conducting negotiations with potential investors, including the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), on investments and loans for completing the construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power station, Finance Minister, Safarali Najmuddinov, remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on November 8.  

The minister noted that the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) is currently considering a draft national budget for 2007.  “The draft national budget for the next year stipulates expenditures on supporting infrastructure of the being constructed Roghun plant,” the minister said.  Najmuddinov did not detail the amount of the stipulated funds, adding that financiers are currently calculating expenditures on the Roghun project.  

Tajikistan’s national budget for 2007 will be nearly 3.2 billion somonis (equivalent to US $944 million).  Revenues are projected to be nearly 3.2 billion somonis (about US $944 million) and expenditures at 3.3 billion somonis (US $973.45 million).  In 2007, the budget stipulates expenditure of 572 million somonis (US$168.7 million) on the energy sector.