Tajikistan Boosts Hydropower as Qairoqqum Plant Upgrade Reaches Completion

Tajikistan has completed a major renewable energy milestone with the launch of all six upgraded hydroelectric units at the Qairoqqum Hydropower Plant (QHPP).

The rehabilitation project - essential for supplying electricity to 500,000 people in Sughd province - included dam reconstruction, new hydraulic steel structures, modern turbines, and updated electromechanical systems. As a result, the plant’s capacity has increased from 126 MW to 174 MW, The Caspian Post informs via Tajik media.

The upgrade also incorporates cutting-edge climate-resilience measures, helping the plant adapt to climate-driven shifts in Tajikistan’s glacial water systems - a sector highly vulnerable to global warming.

Launched in 2019, the modernization was supported by a $196 million financing package arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). It included loans and grants from the EBRD, the European Investment Bank, the Green Climate Fund, and the Climate Investment Funds, along with support from Austria and the United Kingdom.

With Tajikistan among the countries most exposed to climate change, the QHPP project is seen as a model for resilient hydropower development that could be replicated across the region.

To date, the EBRD has invested over 1 billion euros in Tajikistan through 188 projects, supporting greener and more sustainable economic growth.