These days Tajikistan is still suffering of the energy crisis and it seems that it will endure for a long period. In addition to many other problems in this sector, yesterday the main hydroelectric power station Pamir-1 in eastern part Tajikistan went out of service (RUS) due to a cramp reason. Different sources give different information about the reason. Some of them even say that there was an explosion. This hydroelectric power station was providing with electricity almost all parts of the Pamir region. Previously it was reported that only this part of Tajikistan is not suffering of the energy crisis.

It was an unusual winter for Tajikistan and it made the government realize that it can not have reliance only on hydroelectric power stations like Norak or Rogun and they have to find other sources of energy. Recently on the governmental meeting under the chairmanship of Rahmonov there was approved a Program on renewable sources of energy (RUS). It is expected to overcome the crisis in ten years after the realization of this program. However, it is not the first time this kind of program is approved. The previous one was the same but nothing was done. I think this program has the same fate. I assume that it was approved in order to make the population think that the government is doing something to solve the problem.

I believe that if the government will take measures and start effectively implementing the Program on renewable sources of energy it can solve the problem to some extent. At least it should not make artificial obstacles for the people when they try to develop alternative sources of energy. There are many examples of how people find different sources of energy (RUS) and effectively use it, but the local officials instead of supporting such initiatives they try to kill them in roots.

For example in…

In Zargar village, near Vahdat one farmer Mahmadali Odinaev is effectively using a biogas unit. Thanks to the unit he has a gas in his house for almost five years… In 2002 Mamadali spent 500 USD for this unit: he bought a steel barrel (10 tons), a pipe, an air-gauge and gas valves. Then he got some consultations from the experts in Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and started to construct his unit. After that he filled the steel container with organic wastes and hermetically closed it. Within 18 days there was supported a fermentation of the wastes and the result of this fermentation was gas which could be used in the kitchen… Mamadali says that local officials came several times to his house and asked him to dismantle it…