Turkmenistan commissions new power line to increase supplies to Afghanistan
By Kamila Aliyeva
A new 110-kilovolt power transmission line was commissioned in Turkmenistan on July 26.
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in his address to the participants of the opening ceremony of the Rabat-Kashan–Kalay-Nau power transmission line, said that the line has become the result of effective cooperation between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, based on the principles of friendship, brotherhood and good-neighborliness.
The Rabat-Kashan–Kalay-Nau power line that is being commissioned today is yet another example of constructive steps taken by Turkmenistan towards boosting supplies of electric energy to neighboring countries.
In addition to the existing Imamnazar–Andkhoy and Serhetabat–Herat lines, the new power line will become the first to deliver additional volumes of electricity along the Kerki–Hamyap–Garkyn, Marchak (Turkmenistan)–Marchak (Afghanistan) and Rabat-Kashan–Kalay-Nau routes.
Its capacity will reach 100 megawatts per hour. Commissioning of these power lines will help boost electricity supplies to different provinces of Afghanistan.
Currently, there are 13 power plants in Turkmenistan. Six new power plants have been built in the last five years alone.
Earlier it was reported that the total amount of electricity produced in Turkmenistan by 2024 is planned to be increased up to 33 billion kilowatt-hours, which is 27.2 percent more than the amount planned for 2018.
Turkmenistan sells electricity to Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. Official Ashgabat is also studying the prospects of supplies to the markets of the Caucasus, as well as Central and South Asia.
The Central Asian country’s electricity export ambitions are getting strong support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which announced its intensions to provide $150 million to advance Turkmenistan’s “electric interconnections with neighboring countries” in its Country Operations Business Plan for 2018-2019.
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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva
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