Continuing to improve the climate resilience of Tajikistan's Hydropower Sector
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has awarded Stantec the contract to continue work on the second phase of the capacity building project to strengthen the climate resilience of Tajikistan’s energy sector assets and operations, as part of the EBRD’s investment in the rehabilitation of the Qairokkum hydropower plant in northern Tajikistan. Building on the successes from the first phase of the project, the objective of the second phase is to continue the capacity development of the Tajik national power company Barqi Tojik, together with the country’s national hydro-meteorology agency, Tajik Hydromet, and other relevant institutions in Tajikistan.
By sharing knowledge and providing dedicated training and support, the project enhances capacities to improve understanding and management of climate change risks to the energy sector as a whole, and hydropower operations in particular, and ensure that investments in the hydropower infrastructure contribute towards the longer-term climate resilience of Tajikistan’s hydropower sector.
Craig Scott, Hydropower Engineer (Edinburgh, UK): “Tajikistan relies almost entirely on glacial hydropower for its electricity supplies, making it one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change. Improvements to the hydropower sector are both critical and urgent, so our international team is eager to build on the foundation that we laid in the first phase and continue our support of the development of this sector.”
In the first phase of the project (2015-1018), the Stantec team provided support for the development of essential technical capacities in this area. In this second phase, Stantec’s team of specialists in hydrology, dam safety, and hydropower engineering from Canada, Turkey, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are working to further strengthen capacities, build skills in new technical areas and put in place long-term mechanisms to promote professional development and knowledge transfer to hydropower sector professionals in Tajikistan and the wider region. John Young, Geotechnical Engineer (Burnaby, Canada): “As part of the project, we conducted three trainings in January on glacial and geological hazards (GLOF&LDOF), quality assurance of hydrometeorological and reservoir data, and seasonal forecasting of regional hydro climate and reservoir inflows. Over the rest of the year, we will organize over more 15 trainings and workshops to continue to improve climate risk management practices and capacity in Tajikistan and its surrounding region and modernize the Tajik energy sector.”
“Bringing together our global expertise to support the EBRD with this project to strengthen the Tajikistan hydropower sector is something we are proud of. Using experience from across the Stantec organization allows us to produce maximum quality and expedient results, all to benefit the communities throughout the country that depend on this sector for their livelihood,” concludes Hilal Uflaz, Project Manager (Istanbul, Turkey).
