The Central Asia-South Asia power project, commonly known by the acronym CASA-1000, is a $1.16 billion project currently under construction that will allow for the export of surplus

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

from

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

and

Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Groundbreaking for the project took place in May 2016 by leaders of the four nations. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2025.

Project details

The project will allow for the export of 1,300 megawatts of electricity during the summer months when both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan experience surplus electricity generation from hydroelectric dams.

High voltage direct current A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating current (AC) transmission systems. Most HVDC links use voltages betwe ...

(HVDC) converter stations will also be included as part of the project, as well as a 477 kilometer long, 500 kilovolt

alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in w ...

transmission line between Datka, Kyrgyzstan and

Khujand Khujand, sometimes spelled Khodjent and formerly known as Leninabad from 1936 to 1991, is the second-largest city of Tajikistan and the capital of Tajikistan's northernmost Sughd province. Khujand is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia, d ...

, Tajikistan. A 1,300 MW AC/DC converter station will be constructed in the city of Sangtuda, Tajikistan. A 750 km HVDC line will be constructed between Sangtuda, Tajikistan and the city of Nowshera, Pakistan, via Afghanistan. A 1,300 MW DC/AC converter station will also be constructed in Nowshera, Pakistan and it will be connected to Pakistan's electric grid. The transmission line is designed to transmit up to 1,300 MW of electricity to Pakistan. Additionally, an existing 220 kV AC line between Tajikistan and Afghanistan will be modified for a back-to-back HVDC connection. The modification will allow Afghanistan to draw up to 300 MW more power from the existing 220kV transmission line. The project was inaugurated in February 2020, in a ceremony attended by Afghan President

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was 2021 Taliban offensive, overthrown by the Ta ...

and then- Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Zahid Nasrullah Khan. As of March 2021, approximately 30% of the project covering Afghanistan was completed. In June 2021, Panjshir governor Kamaluddin Nezami consulted with citizens' and local government representatives on "social obstacles" to the CASA-1000 project.

References

External links

CASA-1000 official website
Foreign trade of Pakistan

Infrastructure in Afghanistan 2016 establishments in Pakistan Pakistan–Tajikistan relations Kyrgyzstan–Pakistan relations {{International-dev-stub