Amid a cold snap last week, parts of Tajikistan – including the capital, Dushanbe – were without power. Residents of the capital complained of electricity, heating, and water shut-offs during the three-hour blackout. Meanwhile, some telecommunications services were also down. A source at the Nurek hydroelectric power station told Asia-Plus, a Tajik media outlet, that … Read more
It is a puzzling question: why do the energy-rich Central Asian states experience frequent energy crises? The answer points to a trap, a ticking bomb that every winter threatens to explode into an insurmountable challenge for the region’s people and its governments alike: the region’s old infrastructure needs billions in immediate renovations and the region’s … Read more
Winter focuses the mind on staying warm, particularly in Central Asia where temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees Celsius for weeks at a time. As the region prepares for winter, people know that their heating supply could be disrupted by unexpected power outages and interruptions in district heating, or by the unavailability of fuel. … Read more