ADB upgrades the obsolete Nurek hydroelectric plant which supplies electricity to the majority of the country's population.
Transcript
Title: Upgrading and Stabilizing Power Supply in Tajikistan
Description: ADB upgrades the obsolete Nurek hydroelectric plant which supplies electricity to the majority of the country’s population.
VO: About an hour away from the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe, in the shadow of the world’s tallest earth-rock-fill dam, lies the massive hydroelectric power plant of Nurek. Built in the early 1970s, it produces over 70% of the landlocked nation’s electricity. The power generated here is connected to the national grid through two switchyards. But they desperately need repair. They also sit on ground that is sinking at an alarming rate of six inches a year.
SOT: Bahtovarsho Nazrishoev
Energy Specialist, Government Project Management Unit
There is a complicated geological process going on beneath us. During the rainy season the salt is melting, and when this happens it creates a vacuum.
VO: Geological studies show that the sinking process is irreversible. The ground could cave in anytime. This would be a disaster for energy security and the economy.
But something is being done to stop the catastrophe. The Asian Development Bank is working with the government to reconstruct the aging facility. Outdated equipment is being replaced and the switchyard is being moved downhill to a stable and salt-free area.
SOT: Jim Liston
Principal Energy Specialist, Central and West Asia Dept.
Asian Development Bank
We’re using state-of-the-art technology to overcome space constraints as we relocate the switchyard. The move will ensure a reliable connection of Nurek parts to the national grid.
VO: The new equipment will help make power supply more reliable. And bring peace of mind to Nurek officials, who watch the ground shift beneath them.
