Rogun Hydropower Plant to Boost Regional Energy Ties Under New Tajikistan-Uzbekistan Deal

The Tajik government has approved the signing of a new agreement with Uzbekistan to strengthen cooperation in the electric power sector, paving the way for the supply of electricity from the Rogun Hydropower Plant (HPP) to the neighboring country.

According to a resolution published on the Ministry of Justice’s legal information website, the agreement outlines the basic principles of energy cooperation, with specific terms and volumes of electricity deliveries to be regulated through a separate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Tajikistan’s Rogun HPP and Uzbekistan’s Uzenergosotish company, The Caspian Post reports via Tajik media.

The base price for scheduled electricity from Rogun is set at 3.4 US cents per kilowatt-hour, inclusive of VAT at a zero rate. Starting from the second year of deliveries, the rate will be indexed annually by 1 per cent.

Power supplies will follow a schedule coordinated by the two countries’ national grid operators and will primarily cover periods of energy deficit in Uzbekistan. Deliveries will take place via interstate power lines and run in parallel with existing exports from Barqi Tojik, Tajikistan’s state energy provider.

During the plant’s ongoing construction phase, electricity exports to Uzbekistan will be limited to the April-September irrigation season. Once Rogun reaches full capacity, deliveries will continue year-round on a monthly basis.

The agreement will come into effect after both parties exchange diplomatic notifications confirming completion of internal procedures. It is valid for 20 years, with automatic 10-year extensions, unless one party gives six months' notice of termination through diplomatic channels.

Rogun HPP, once completed, will be the largest hydropower plant in Central Asia, boasting an installed capacity of 3,780 MW and an expected annual output of 14.4 billion kWh. The facility will feature six turbines of 630 MW each, with final commissioning slated for 2029. Two turbines, launched in 2018 and 2019, are already in operation at partial capacity.

In 2024, Rogun generated 1.22 billion kWh, representing 5.5 per cent of Tajikistan’s total electricity production, according to the Ministry of Energy.