Afghanistan has resumed the construction of power lines for the CASA-1000 project
The construction of the CASA-1000 strategic high-voltage power transmission line has resumed in Afghanistan. Work on the Afghan site was suspended in August 2021 after the change of power in the country. According to information from Tajikistan, the power engineers managed to resolve all the accumulated issues with international donors and contractors, which allowed the construction process to be re-launched.
Currently, all the necessary construction materials and equipment have already been delivered to the territory of Afghanistan. Completion of the line in this country is expected at the turn of 2026-2027. The total cost of the Afghan site is estimated at 260 million dollars, of which 160 million have already been mastered before the freezing of the project. Financing is provided by the World Bank. After commissioning of the transmission line, Afghanistan will be able to earn about $ 50 million annually on transit fees, as expected by the Afghan energy company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS).
The CASA-1000 interstate project linking the energy systems of Central and South Asia is nearing completion in other participating countries. In Pakistan, construction work is in the final stages and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year. Power transmission lines on the territory of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have already been fully built. Moreover, since the end of March, the 500 kV power transmission line connecting the Tajik substation Sogd-500 and the Kyrgyz substation Datka has already been energized.
The CASA-1000 project is designed to export surplus electricity generated at HPPs from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the summer. Its official launch took place back in May 2016. As part of the initiative, 1,387 kilometers of power lines and two converter stations are being built, which will ensure the transmission of 1,300 MW of electricity. The total budget of the project is about $ 1.2 billion.
The implementation of the project is of key economic importance for exporting countries. According to preliminary estimates, the revenues of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan from the sale of electricity may exceed $ 250 million per year. For the successful integration of the energy systems of the participating countries, a special Technical Code was adopted in May this year. This document is one of the main agreements of the project, as its compliance is critically important for the parallel and stable operation of the networks of Central and South Asia.
Original (in Russian): Афганистан возобновил строительство ЛЭП для проекта CASA-1000
