Uzbekistan supports the Central Asia-South Asia power project (CASA-1000) that will allow for the export of surplus hydroelectricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov at an international conference on Afghanistan in Geneva Wednesday.
The CASA-1000 project involves the construction of high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations and a transmission line for the supply of electricity from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Groundbreaking for the project took place on May 12, 2016 in Tajikistan in a ceremony attended by the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Pakistani Prime Ministers, and is expected to be completed in 2020.
“Today Uzbekistan provides comprehensive assistance to the economic recovery of Afghanistan, its regional connectivity and supports projects such as TAPI, CASA-1000. Uzbekistan is focused on the practical implementation of Afghanistan’s initiatives in the field of transport, energy, trade and education, ”said Kamilov.
While, Uzbekistan itself is a major supplier of electricity to Afghanistan, the volume of which will increase after the commissioning of the new Surkhan-Poli-Khomri transmission line. The transmission lines will increase the amount of electricity supplied by Uzbekistan by 70% - up to 6 billion kWh per year.
“The TL will connect Kabul to the unified energy system of Central Asia. Moreover, Surkhan-Poli-Khomri could become part of the CASA-1000 project,” the minister concluded.
