Tajikistan's Winter Energy Crisis : Electricity Supply and Demand Alternatives
Tajikistan's electricity system is in a state of crisis. Approximately 70 percent of the Tajik people suffer from extensive shortages of electricity during the winter. These shortages, estimated at about 2,700 GWh, about a quarter of winter el...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC: World Bank
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/01/18042383/tajikistans-winter-energy-crisis-electricity-supply-demand-alternatives http://hdl.handle.net/10986/15795 |
| Summary: | Tajikistan's electricity system is
in a state of crisis. Approximately 70 percent of the Tajik
people suffer from extensive shortages of electricity during
the winter. These shortages, estimated at about 2,700 GWh,
about a quarter of winter electricity demand, impose
economic losses estimated at over United States (US) 200
million dollars per annum or 3 percent of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). The electricity shortages have not been
addressed because investments have not been made in new
electricity supply capacity and maintenance of existing
assets has not improved. The financial incentive for
electricity consumers to reduce their consumption is
inadequate as electricity prices are among the lowest in the
world. Without prompt action to remedy the causes of
Tajikistan's electricity crisis and with growing
demand, the shortages could increase to about 4,500 GWh by
2016 (over a third of winter electricity demand) or worse.
The World Bank undertook this study to assist the Government
of Tajikistan (GoT) in finding ways to overcome the current
electricity shortages and establish a sound basis for
meeting the growing electricity demand in Tajikistan. The
study focuses on the investments and policy reforms needed
between now and 2020 to strengthen the financial, technical
and institutional capacity of the Tajik power sector and
prepare the GoT for undertaking a major expansion of power
supply capacity. The study excludes large hydropower plants
with storage, given their complexity and global experience
that such projects are subject to delays. The winter
electricity shortages are caused by a combination of low
hydropower output during winter when river flows are low and
high demand driven by heating needs. The GoT should focus
its immediate attention on three ways to eliminate the
current winter power shortages: 1) ambitious energy
efficiency plans to reduce uneconomic power usage; 2) new
dual-fired thermal power supply to complement the existing
hydropower supply during winter; and 3) increased energy
imports to leverage surplus electricity supply in
neighboring countries. |
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