"It is clear to everyone that it will be impossible to eradicate the deficit of electricity and to ensure the country's further socioeconomic development if such a crucial energy generating facility is not built and if it does not start operating," Rahmon said at a government session on Monday evening.

"At the same time, an instruction was issued to carry out preparations for an emission of Rogun HPP stock as fast as possible in order to enable us to begin selling these shares in early 2010 with the aim of securing further investment in the construction of this vital facility," the Tajik president said.

Official media reports confirm such "voluntary" contributions to the project.

According to the republic's authorities, such contributions represent simple deductions from wages of which employees are not notified in advance.

In April 2008, Tajikistan set up an open joint-stock company with a charter capital of 116 million somoni to finish the construction of the Rogun hydroelectric power plant.

The country's authorities plan to spend 650 million somoni worth of budget funds on the project in 2010, as compared with 533 million somoni this year.

According to tentative estimates, $1.3 billion is needed to put two of the facility's six power generating units into operation, and over $3 billion to launch all six units. Each power generating unit has a designed capacity of 600 megawatts.

Once completed, the Rogun hydroelectric power plant will generate enough electricity to resolve the problem of Tajikistan's energy shortage, which amounts to approximately four billion kilowatt hours a year.

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