ISLAMABAD: Tajikistan’s Deputy Minister for Energy Jamshed Shoimzoda has said a $1.2 billion Western-backed project to build a power line between Central Asia and South Asia would be completed by December next year, state news agency APP reported on Monday.
The CASA-1000 project, launched in 2016, aims to allow Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, former Soviet republics with an extensive network of hydroelectric power plants, to sell excess energy to Pakistan and Afghanistan in the summer months. The project, initially meant to allow the export of electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan by 2020, has been stalled for years by turmoil in Afghanistan.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan generate most of their energy from hydropower plants built on the rivers that flow into Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan limit water release during summer due to lower power demand, angering their neighbors who need water for irrigation. The five countries have failed to reach an agreement after decades of negotiations.
The new power line could smooth flows as power demand in Pakistan peaks during the summer months.
“Major energy project, CASA-1000 between Pakistan and Tajikistan, will be completed by December 2026, which will start providing 1000 MW of electricity to Pakistan,” Shoimzoda said in an interview to APP.
“This grand project will take time to be operational by January 2027, after which bilateral cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries will be further promoted and there will be a new beginning of clean and green energy projects in both countries.”
Tajikistan aims to completely switch to green energy and zero emission by 2027.
“The transmission capacity of the CASA-1000 energy project will be 1,300 megawatts, which will be an energy link between Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan to provide clean energy not only to regional countries but also fill the need of Pakistan’s industrial sector,” Shoimzoda said.
“Massive infrastructural projects will be beneficial for all of its stakeholders by fulfilling energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity.”
Shoimzoda said Tajikistan has the capacity to export 10 billion kilowatt of energy annually, which would benefit all countries in the region, including Pakistan. Tajikistan also currently has the capacity to generate 500 billion KW of electricity, the highest among regional countries in hydel power.
The minister said Tajikistan was already providing electricity to other regional countries, including Afghanistan, and in the future would create a regional energy hub, to “usher in a new era of sustainable energy production and economic prosperity in the region.”
The United States was initially involved in financing the 1,200-km-long line as part of its New Silk Road initiative to integrate Afghanistan with Central Asia. Other project sponsors have included the World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, the UK Department for International Development, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
