Roghun dam project advances as Tajikistan secures new international financing

Eurasianet reports that construction of Tajikistan’s massive Roghun hydropower project has advanced significantly over the past year, with new international financing secured and work on the main dam structure moving forward. In June, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a $300 million grant for the project, following a $350 million grant approved in December 2024. Italian infrastructure company WeBuild announced in August that it had begun work on the project’s $2. 3 billion Lot 2 and raised the dam to 1,155 meters above sea level . The company said the increase will allow operators to raise the reservoir’s water level by 49 meters and expand generation capacity from two turbines already installed.

Project to become world’s tallest dam The Tajik government has been developing the Roghun project in the Vakhsh River valley since 2016 and has already spent more than $3 billion on it. If completed according to its original design, the dam will stand 335 meters high , making it the world’s tallest dam. The hydropower plant is expected to generate up to 14,400 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually , equivalent to about 60% of Tajikistan’s current electricity production. The latest progress follows reports in 2025 that the World Bank had paused financing while examining concerns raised by civil society groups and questions about the project’s financial viability. However, the World Bank Group Office in Tajikistan later told Eurasianet that financing had not been suspended. The bank said disbursement had been subject to agreed conditions, which were completed on December 22, 2025. “There was no temporary suspension or freeze of the Bank’s participation in the project,” the bank said. Tajikistan targets energy independence Tajik officials have welcomed the…