Emomali Rahmon at the Rogun Hydropower Plant construction site. Photo: president.tj
Tajikistan will achieve energy independence by August 2027, Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda announced during President Emomali Rahmon’s meeting with workers at the Rogun Hydropower Plant (HPP) and representatives of the city of Rogun, according to the presidential press service.
Speaking before the audience, Rahmon noted that since the launch of the first two units at the plant, 9.1 billion kWh of electricity worth 2.1 billion somoni ($219 million) has been generated. In 2026, the working wheels of the fifth and sixth units will be replaced with permanent ones, enabling increased production. The new turbines were supplied by the Austrian company Voith Hydro.
Rahmon stressed the need to ensure speed, quality, and adherence to international standards in construction, accelerate dam building, and commission new facilities. Currently, 18,300 workers and engineers and more than 3,700 pieces of equipment are engaged in the project. The Italian company Webuild, responsible for dam construction, has been instructed to fill the reservoir up to the 1,100-meter mark by the end of September this year.
“By September 9 — the 34th anniversary of our state’s independence — the dam level will reach 1,110 meters above sea level, and its height will be 145 meters,” Rahmon said.
According to him, in 2024, 2.8 billion somoni ($292 million) was initially allocated for the Rogun project, but with additional domestic resources, this was increased to 4.8 billion somoni (over $500 million). In 2025, another 4.3 billion somoni (nearly $450 million) was spent, bringing the total financing since 2008 to more than 48.1 billion somoni ($5 billion).
Alongside regular state budget allocations, Tajikistan’s government is attracting funding from international financial institutions and partners. Since 2020, the country has been working with the World Bank, holding more than 300 meetings with its representatives and other partners to address dam safety, ecology, social issues, and technical and legal aspects of the project.
As a result, the World Bank allocated $650 million for the project, including a $350 million grant agreement for the first phase. Additional agreements were signed with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank ($500 million), the Islamic Development Bank and Arab funds ($450 million), and the Qatar Development Fund ($50 million). Negotiations are underway for further grants and loans totaling $1.7 billion with other international financial institutions.
The Rogun Hydropower Plant is Tajikistan’s largest energy project. Completion is scheduled for the end of 2031. It is expected to become the biggest hydropower plant in Central Asia, with an installed capacity of 3,600 MW and an annual electricity output of 13 to 17 billion kWh.
