Eleven remote villages in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) with a total population of over 1652 people have got access to electricity for the first time in history.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Office in Tajikistan says this was possible with the support from the Government of Tajikistan under the Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project (TREP) financed by the World Bank.

The villages now connected to Pamir Energy grid are Nisur, Khijez, Ravivd, Barchadev and Yapshor in Bartang Valley, Rushan district; Zaych in Yazgulom Valley, Vanj district; Roznver and Zurzimor Dasht, Shugnan district; Shirgin, Ishkashim district; and Nimos and Hojatgah, Roshtqala district.

“The Government of Tajikistan is committed to ensuring access to reliable electricity to every single settlement in the country, regardless its size and location,” emphasized Daler Juma, Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan.  “Over 30 years of national independence, due to the tireless efforts of the Government of Tajikistan, Pamir Energy and its founders and development partners, the GBAO electricity network has gained remarkable achievements.  Today, 96% of the region’s population has access to clean and reliable electricity, and thanks to the support from the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank, the remaining 4% will gain access by 2023.”

Through the project, 61 largely scattered and remote settlements in GBAO will get access to electricity in the next two years. This year Pamir Energy will connect 27 settlements with a total population of 4,400 people, and the remaining 35 settlements home to 7,600 people will get access to clean and reliable electricity by 2025.

“Connecting households in some of the poorest and most remote areas of Tajikistan to electricity will improve the living conditions of people, expand opportunities for economic activities, improve health and education, as well as expand access to basic social services,” said Ozan Sevimli, World Bank Country Manager in Tajikistan. “Our investments in Tajikistan’s energy sector aim to support the sector’s sustainability, ensure stable electricity supply and bring much needed revenues from increased export of clean energy sources, which are abundant in Tajikistan.”

“We are very grateful to the Government of Tajikistan and the World Bank for enabling us to reach all communities in GBAO,” emphasized Amrikhon Rahimov, Acting General Director of Pamir Energy.  “Most importantly, the project is helping to expand economic opportunities in remote and mountainous regions of Badakhshan,” Rahimov noted.

Aliqadam Charoghov, local entrepreneur in Nisur village of Bartang Valley, was able to open an internet café after his village got connected to electricity.  “Now people can chat with their family members abroad. Students come to find information for their studies,” Aliqadam said, adding that being connected to electricity is critical for ensuring access to education.

Senior nurse of the Nisur village medical point, Nazarkhotoun Gurgaliyeva, says that the medical facility can now operate longer hours and use its equipment in full.

“I would like to thank the Government of Tajikistan, the World Bank and Pamir Energy for this effort.  We can provide quality medical services to people when needed,” Nazarkhotun added.

Tajikistan Rural Electrification Project (TREP) is financed with a grant from the World Bank.  It supports the construction of electricity generation and distribution infrastructure to provide off-grid solutions or connect to the central grid vulnerable communities in GBAO and Khatlon province.  In Khatlon, over 31,500 people living in 74 settlements in the poorest areas along the border with Afghanistan will be connected to the electricity grid of Barqi Tojik, while over 12,000 people residing in 61 largely scattered and remote settlements in GBAO will be connected to electricity grid of Pamir Energy Company.

Pamir Energy was established as part of a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and Pamir Energy Company (PE), a subsidiary of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED).  PE is an integrated energy utility company operating in GBAO.  PE’s establishment marked the formation of the first PPP in Central Asia, with the Government of Tajikistan transferring the operation and management of the energy assets in the region to PE in 2002, but maintaining ownership.  PE is a Tajik company registered in Tajikistan and has obtained all the necessary licenses to operate and provide energy services in the country and is co-owned by shareholder AKFED and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).  To-date, PE has restored 11 hydro-power plants, constructed one greenfield hydro-power plant, and created a regional grid that provides electricity to 96% of the population of GBAO.