Work on construction of CASA-1000 power project which has faced multiple delays will kick off next week simultaneously in three provinces and will end in two and a half years, said Amanullah Ghalib, head of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS).
CASA-1000 is one of the biggest power projects that will transfer 300 megawatts of electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It was designed more than a decade ago and work the project was kicked off in Tajikistan three years ago.
India’s KEC International Limited and Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited (KPTL) are the two companies which will implement the project.
“Work on construction of the project will start from Kunduz, second in Naghlo area in Surobi district of Kabul and third from Laghman and Nangarhar provinces,” said Ghalib.
“Those countries which work jointly will start work with full awareness in Afghanistan, but in Afghanistan unfortunately there is no expert staff and sufficient resources to implement the project,” said Samim Sarem an economic affairs analyst.
The implementation of the CASA-1000 project in Afghanistan will cost $460 million, of which $360 million will be allocated by the World Bank and $80 million will be provided by the Afghan government.
The CASA-1000 project will include:
• 500 kV AC line from Datka (in the Kyrgyz Republic) to Sugd-500 (477 kilometers away, in Tajikistan)
• 1,300 megawatt AC-DC Converter Station at Sangtuda (Tajikistan)
• 750-kilometer High Voltage DC line from Sangtuda (Tajikistan) to Nowshera (Pakistan)
• 1,300 megawatt DC-AC Converter Station at Nowshera
CASA-1000 project will start from Kyrgyzstan and it will reach Afghanistan through Tajikistan and onward to Pakistan’s Peshawar city. The length of the project in Afghanistan is estimated to eventually run for 562km.
With the implementation of the project, 1300 megawatts of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will be transmitted to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan will receive 300 megawatts of power and the remaining one thousand megawatts will be transmitted to Pakistan via Afghanistan territory.
The CASA-1000 Project is an important step in building a functioning, efficient electricity system across Central Asia and South Asia. By facilitating clean power export revenues for the Central Asian countries and by alleviating electricity shortages in the South Asian countries, this project will enhance growth prospects across both regions.
This project demonstrates landmark cooperation among the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The modern and efficient CASA-1000 electricity transmission system will help transform the region and signify an important step toward realizing the planned Central Asia-South Asia Regional Electricity Market (CASAREM).
The CASAREM initiative will help not only these four countries but also improve the electrical systems and develop inter-regional cooperation between Central Asia and South Asia.
Afghanistan will receive between $40 and $50 million in transit duties from the project annually. The project will also enhance the economic connectivity between the contributing nations and will boost Afghanistan’s transit reputation in the region and entire Asia.
