DUSHANBE, February 16, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Uniting power system of Tajikistan with power systems of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan is one of near-term prospects of Tajik energy authorities, the source at one of energy institutions of Tajikistan said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on recent statement of Kazakh ambassador to Tajikistan on the possible unification of power systems of the three countries.

“Direct connection with Kyrgyzstan’s power system has become possible due to construction of the South-North power grid,” said the source, “This power grid will end on the Kyrgyz border in the Sughd province and it will just remain to build a 90-kilometer power transmission line to connect the South-North grid with Kyrgyz power system.”

Georgy Petrov, head of the hydropower laboratory at the Institute for Water Resources, Hydropower and Environmental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, noted that unification of power systems of the three Central Asian countries would be good for all sides.  He noted that each power system must have reserves because it may fail any time.  “If the countries unify their power systems, it will become possible to reduce spare capacities,” Petrov said.

We will recall that Kazakh Ambassador to Tajikistan Abutalip Akhmetov stated at a news conference in Dushanbe on February 11 that Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are currently considering the possibility of unification of their power systems.  According to him, disruption of the Central Asian unified power grid is a temporal occurrence.

Kazakh diplomat noted that the energy ministries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were currently conducting negotiations on construction of a power transmission line from the Kyrgyz city of Osh to Khujand in Tajikistan that will allow unifying power systems of the three countries in the future.