ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Tajikistan have pledged early operationalization of a $1.2 billion Western-backed project to build a power line between Central Asia and South Asia, the Pakistani foreign office said on Thursday, after wide-ranging talks between both sides on trade, investment, defense and security issues.
The statement came after the 6th session of Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC) between Pakistan and Tajikistan in Dushanbe on September 29–30. The Pakistani delegation was led by Additional Foreign Secretary for West Asia and Afghanistan Syed Ali Asad Gillani, while the Tajik side was headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Farrukh Sharifzoda.
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.
“Both sides explored avenues to enhance trade, particularly through increased collaboration in textiles, logistics, agriculture and food, and pharmaceuticals,” the Pakistani foreign office said. “They underscored the significance of regional transport corridors and reaffirmed their commitment to the early operationalization of CASA-1000, aimed at strengthening regional integration and energy security.”
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.
In Feb. 2024, the World Bank, a key CASA-1000 backer, approved resumption of the clean energy project after it was stalled in 2022 due to turmoil in Afghanistan, with the Bank focusing on urgently needed education, agriculture and health programs.
It said construction of the project in the other three countries was nearly complete and these countries had requested that CASA-1000 activities in Afghanistan resume to avoid the risk of the project becoming a stranded asset.
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,” Tajikistan’s Deputy Minister for Energy Jamshed Shoimzoda said in June this year.
“Massive infrastructural projects will be beneficial for all of its stakeholders by fulfilling energy needs and strengthening regional connectivity.”
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.
