How the Energy Industry Began in Tajikistan 100 Years Ago

100 years ago — on April 15, 2026, in Dyushambe, as the capital of Tajikistan was then called, a remarkable event occurred: the first diesel power station with a capacity of 78 kW was put into operation, and the city received electricity for the first time in its history. 
Following Dushanbe, in the second half of the 1920s, communal diesel power stations were put into operation in the district centers of the republic. The first use of the republic’s hydropower resources was marked by the construction of the Upper Varzob Hydroelectric Power Station and subsequent ones in the Varzob Cascade, HPP-2 and HPP-3.In the 1950s-1970s, the construction of large hydroelectric power stations on the Syr Darya and Vakhsh rivers began — these are the Kayrakkum Hydroelectric Power Station «Friendship of Peoples» and the «Vakhsh Cascade of HPPs».
In the post-Soviet years, with the republic gaining independence, the issue of energy development in Tajikistan has been constantly in the focus of the government. Hundreds of small hydroelectric power stations have been built in the country, and the Sangtuda HPP-1 and HPP-2, as well as Dushanbe TPP-2, have been commissioned.​