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Pamir Power Plant: Using Natural and Local Resources to Generate Power (Tajikistan)

Background: The Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast of Tajikistan is one of the poorest areas of Central Asia . During the Soviet period (pre-1992), Gorno-Badakhshan received its energy supply from the central government of the Soviet Union. The Oblast's energy requirements were taken care of by the central government at highly subsidized prices. Then, as a result of the break-up of the centrally planned Soviet economic system in 1992, Gorno-Badakhshan experienced serious food and energy shortages.

The delivery of energy (as well as food supplies) virtually stopped. To respond to the crisis situation, AKF set up a local non-governmental organization (NGO) called the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP). MSDSP works to improve the living conditions of the people in this region through humanitarian assistance, agricultural development, the formation of village organizations and integrated programs of development assistance.

Bartang Valley, Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Four
girls return from collecting firewood, a daily chore that
takes a large amount of children’s time and
depletes the already thin tree cover in this rocky area.

In the past decade, 43% of the people in Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan have had extremely limited electricity in the cold winter months. From 1992-2002, the 250,000 residents of Gorno-Badakhshan who face sub-freezing winter temperatures have survived by using wood fuel for their heating and cooking needs. As a result, 70% of Gorno-Badakhshan's forests were cut down for firewood in the past 10 years. In addition to the problem of deforestation, using wood for heating and cooking has created acutely high levels of indoor pollution (which has negative health consequences).

Bartang Valley, Gorno-Badakhshan, Tajikistan. Two
Tajik women carry their loads of firewood in woven cone-
shaped baskets, used for fuel in winter.

Long Lasting solutions:

In response to the critical energy situation, the Aga Khan Foundation initiated a multi-phase rehabilitation of the 28-megawatt (MW) power plant outside Khorog in partnership with the Government of Tajikistan, USAID and U.S. Department of State in 1993. The Pamir I phase brought into operation two 7 MW turbines that were partly installed at the end of the Soviet period.

In 1999, Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) approached the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, to seek cooperation to expand the electricity network. Following intensive efforts to determine how to get a commercial return to investors with a very limited ability of consumers to pay, a public-private partnership was established, called the Pamir Energy Company.

The $26-million project uses creative co-financing with investments from AKFED, IFC, the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) and the Swiss government. Construction, occurring from 2003-2006, will involve improving transmission and distribution facilities and adding a regulating structure to nearby Lake Yashikul, to ensure adequate flow in winter months when demand for electricity is highest and water flow is at its lowest due to freezing.

In addition to the rehabilitation of the larger power plants, smaller mini-hydrels were built in individual villages by village organizations in collaboration with MSDSP. Click here to find out more about how some Tajik communities organized themselves to solve the energy and water shortage problems that they have had to face for decades.