New Transmission Line to Connect Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved additional grant financing of $15 million for the project to reconnect Tajikistan’s power grid to the Central Asian Unified Power System. This decision was made to improve the infrastructure for electricity export-import between countries in the region, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The funding will specifically go towards the construction of a 22-kilometer 500-kilovolt power transmission line in northern Tajikistan, connecting the Sughd substation in Tajikistan to the New Syrdarya substation in Uzbekistan.
This new power transmission line will enhance the capacity for electricity exchange between the countries, strengthening the overall infrastructure and reducing the risk of failures. Additionally, it will prepare Tajikistan’s power grid to provide power and frequency regulation services for the integration of renewable energy sources in the region. In the long term, it will play a key role in the power transmission scheme from the Rogun hydropower station in Tajikistan.
In June 2024, Tajikistan rejoined the Central Asian power system after leaving it in 2009. The Unified Power System of Central Asia was originally established during the Soviet era to balance the demand for electricity and water resources among the participating countries. However, following the dissolution of the USSR, the system fell apart as countries started to leave the network. It was eventually recreated in 2019, with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan rejoining the system.
This recent investment from the ADB will not only improve the energy infrastructure in Tajikistan but also contribute to regional cooperation and stability in Central Asia’s electricity sector.
