The modernisation of the Qairokkum hydropower plant in Tajikistan has been completed, bringing the facility’s installed capacity to 174MW. All six hydroelectric units have now been launched, concluding a major renewable energy project supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Located in the Sughd province, the plant supplies electricity to around 500,000 people. Rehabilitation work included concrete dam upgrades and the installation of new hydraulic steel structures, turbines and electromechanical equipment..
The project introduced innovative climate-resilience solutions. According to project partners, these measures are designed to help Qairokkum cope with future variations in water flow driven by rising temperatures and glacier retreat. Tajikistan is considered highly vulnerable to climate change due to its dependence on glacial hydrology.
The plant’s rehabilitation began in 2019 and was financed through a US$196m package arranged by the EBRD. This included a US $88m EBRD loan, a US$37m European Investment Bank loan, US$50m in loans and grants from the Green Climate Fund, and US$21m in loans and grants from the Climate Investment Funds for Barki Tojik, the state-owned utility. Additional support came from the governments of Austria and the UK.
The financing helped introduce what the EBRD describes as “innovative climate resilience measures,” which make the plant more robust in the face of climate-related risks. These adaptations are expected to serve as a model for future hydropower projects in Tajikistan and the wider Central Asian region.
To date, the EBRD has invested more than €1 billion in Tajikistan across 188 projects.
