Russia electricity holding could enter Afghanistan – Chubais

28.09.2004

MOSCOW, September 28 (Itar-Tass) – The Unified Energy Systems of
Russian (EES Rossii) could enter Afghanistan’s energy system via
Tajikistan, the chief of the national electricity utility, Anatoly
Chubais , said.

He told a news conference on Tuesday that “this will be possible in
case of the implementation of our projects in Tajikistan, to which
three to ten years are given.”

Chubais stressed that “Afghanistan is even now receiving electric
energy from Tajikistan that is in turn connected to Russia”.

“We are seriously analysing grid projects for Afghanistan,” he said.

Chubais did not rule out that the EES Rossii could join China’s energy
system in prospect.

“At present this topic sounds hypothetically, but it could become a
reason for serious talks in a year,” Chubais said at the conference
Russia: Investment in the Economy of Growth.

“China is now present in discussions of our plans, even though Iran
sounds in them far more often, which, one the one and, works in a
synchronous regime with Azerbaijan and, on the other, with Armenia,”
Chubais said.

He added that he could probably hold talks in Iran soon.

As for other operations of EES Rossii abroad, Chubais said “large-
scale projects could appear in the nearest time in Tajikistan and
Kyrgyzstan”.

He admitted that talks on the Russian company’s buying a 50 percent
stake in Kazakhstan’s Ekibastuz hydroelectric station were difficult,
but were nearing completion.

Besides, “we have got positive results in Georgia”.

“Despite the most acute political events, our business in this country
is developing positively, and the Georgian leadership on the whole
has been able to find a sound approach to solving this issues,”
Chubais said.

He expressed hope that the coming winter in Georgia, whose energy
system EES Rossii owns, would go without failures of the energy and
heat supply.