What is Tajikistan's electricity export share within CASA-1000 project?
By Kamila Aliyeva
The shares of electricity export of the countries participating in large-scale regional project in the power industry - CASA-1000 - were determined.
The share of electricity export from Tajikistan within the framework of the CASA-1000 project will be 70 percent, while Kyrgyzstan will account for 30 percent, the press service of the Tajik Energy Ministry reported.
The ministry specified that the project will provide transit of up to 5 billion kWh of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan.
The share of Tajik power exports will be 3 billion kWh, according to the ministry’s message.
“Taking into account the current energy capacities, Tajikistan is capable to export more than this amount in summer period, if the demand of consumers increases. With the launch of the first stage of the Rogun HPP, which is expected this year, the export opportunities will further expand,” the message said.
According to the reached agreements on the CASA-1000 project, the export price would be 9.35 cents per kilowatt hours.
Last year, Tajikistan launched a tender for the supply and installation of power lines, as well as the expansion of the respective cells in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan within the framework of the project, CASA-1000 reported.
Within the project it is planned to build a 477-kilometer 500-kW transmission line from the Datka substation (Kyrgyzstan) to Khujand. In addition, it is planned to connect Sangtudu, Kabul and Peshawar by a 750-kilometer high-voltage power line.
Last year, the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, Usmonali Usmonzoda, said that the practical implementation of the Tajik section of the CASA-1000 project is planned to be launched in 2018.
According to the minister, a tender was announced for the construction of a direct and alternating current transmission line. As many as 10 companies applied for these lots.
“If the practical work on the construction of a Tajik electricity transmission line starts in 2018, the project can be completed within two years,” Usmonzoda said.
CASA-1000 is an interregional electricity transmission project in Central and South Asia to connect four countries - Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. It is presupposed that the project will create opportunities for the export of electricity surplus in summer period from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan through Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have the world’s most abundant clean hydropower resources. Both countries have the surplus of electricity during the summer due to water cascading from the mountain ranges, while Afghanistan and Pakistan face chronic electricity shortages and cannot keep pace with demand for it.
The project initially also included transfer of electricity to Afghanistan, however the country abandoned its share of electricity due to dearth of demand, hence Pakistan will receive 1,300 megawatts of electricity.
Groundbreaking for the project took place on May 12, 2016 in Tajikistan in a ceremony attended by the Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Pakistani Prime Ministers. CASA-1000 project will cost more than $1 billion and is expected to be completed by 2020.
Such international financial institution as the World Bank (WB), the European Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), as well as the UK government and others act as investors in the project.
In particular, for the implementation of the Tajik section of the project, the World Bank will allocate $45 million the IDB - $70 million, and the EBRD - $110 million.
Economy analysts are not very hopeful about the implementation of the project due to lack of cooperation between the countries involved. The experts note the insecurity in Afghanistan as another hurdle for the electricity transmission project.
---
Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz