CASA 1000: electricity project technical work completed

The technical work of a regional electricity project, called CASA 1000 has been compeleted and the agreement is set to be signed between the country members, Afghanistan power department said.

Head of publication of Afghanistan power department, Wahidullah Tawhidi said, “CASA project is one of the biggest projects of Afghanistan which will be signed in the current year.”

CASA-1000 will build more than 1,200 kilometers of electricity transmission lines and associated sub-stations to transmit excess summer hydropower energy from existing power generation stations in Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic to Pakistan and Afghanistan.

To oversee the complex, four-country process, an Inter-Governmental Council has been established to supervise the design and implementation of the project.

The project, aimed at easing energy shortages in Afghanistan and utilising surplus power in Tajikistan, has the backing of the United States and World Bank, which has approved millions of dollars in financing to execute the programme.

In March 2014 for the World Bank Group approved financing for the engineering design, construction and commissioning of transmission lines and three new converter stations.

The project would build upon existing power generation stations that will provide the energy to be traded over CASA-1000.

Commercial and operating framework for CASA-1000 is specifically based on “open access” principles that will allow additional energy supplying countries to connect with wider regional transmission networks.

CASA-1000 will enable the development of the Central Asia South Asia regional electricity market, (CASAREM) – a long-term plan for regional energy trade.