Nurek Hydropower Rehabilitation Project

Objective

"The objectives of the Project are to rehabilitate and increase the generating capacity of Nurek hydropower plant, improve its efficiency, and strengthen the safety of the Nurek dam." -ADB

Description

The Nurek Hydropower Plant (HPP) is the main asset of Tajikistan’s energy system. With an installed capacity of over 3,000 megawatts, it generates about 50 percent of total annual energy demand in Tajikistan.

History

Construction of the dam began in 1961 and the power station's first generator was commissioned in 1972. The last generator was commissioned in 1979 and the entire project was completed in 1980 when Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union, becoming the tallest dam in the world at the time. The rehabilitation of the Nurek HPP, launched in 2019, will be implemented in two phases. The completion of the turbine – the first of nine expected to be rehabilitated through the project, extends the economic life of the unit by 35 years,

Finance