World Bank Considers Loan for Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Plant
Tajikistan's Deputy Minister for Finance, Yusuf Majidi, has announced that the World Bank will consider financing the development of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant. According to him, the bank can allocate $650 million for this project in September this year. $250 million has been allocated as preferential loans; starting in 2025, the station's construction will be financed by other investments. Majidi specified that the construction of the hydroelectric power plant (HPP) is also financed by the Islamic Development Bank and Arab funds; according to preliminary data, this is about $550 million. When the Rogun HPP reaches full capacity, about 70% of the electricity produced will be exported to other Central Asian countries. According to the Eurasian Fund for Stabilization and Development (EFSD), financing the Rogun HPP is one of the main risks to Tajikistan’s budget and debt sustainability. The EFSD notes that a possible increase in the cost of hydropower construction could reduce funding for other critical infrastructure projects and social spending. Rogun is located 110km from Dushanbe on the Vakhsh River, and is the largest in the region. Its construction began in 1976, but it was destroyed after the collapse of the USSR. Later, Tajikistan continued work on the construction of hydroelectric power plants at its own expense and with the help of international funds and organizations, and so far, two of the six units with a capacity of 600 MW provided for in the project have been put into operation. The third is scheduled for 2025.