Barqi Tojik (Tajikistan’s national power utility company) says water levels in the reservoir powering the Nurek hydroelectric power plant (HPP) have reached the required mark of 910 meters.

“Despite the fact that the country today generates enough electricity, on average 45.5 million kWh per day, we call on the population to use electricity sparingly,” Nozir Yodgori, a spokesman for Barqi Tojik, told Asia-Plus in an interview.  

Recall, Barqi Tojik said in late July that it could impose restrictions on the supply of electricity due to a dramatic drop in water levels in the Nurek reservoir. 

In a statement released on July 28, the Government said low water levels in the Nurek reservoir were caused by little snowfall in the mountains during the winter.

The government said the limit on electricity supply will aim at saving water in the reservoir, which is used by the Nurek hydropower plant.

According to the statement, the water level in the Nurek reservoir in late July and early August was 17-meters lower compared to previous years. Fifty percent less water was reportedly running in the Vakhsh and Panj rivers that feed into the reservoir.

The statement said that, if low water levels continue, it may create problems providing electricity to the population and industrial facilities across the country in the autumn and winter.