Commercial operation of the regional energy project CASA-1000 will begin in the summer of 2027. This was announced following working meetings held in Dushanbe on April 18–20 with the participation of the Minister of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan Daler Juma, representatives of the Afghan energy company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), as well as the World Bank and the contractor Kamani Engineering Corporation (KEC).
How the press service reports Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, the parties discussed the progress of the project, technical and financial issues, as well as coordination of further work. According to the contractor, construction on the Afghan site is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2027, after which the project will move to the commercial phase.
Minister of Energy of Tajikistan Daler Juma noted that CASA-1000 is of strategic importance for strengthening cooperation between the countries of Central and South Asia, increasing the level of trust and developing the export of environmentally friendly electricity.
Following the meetings, a corresponding protocol was signed.
The project provides for the creation of an energy corridor for the transmission of electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan through the construction of power transmission lines with a length of more than 1.3 thousand km and two converter substations. Its cost is estimated at approximately $1.2 billion, financing is provided with the support of international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The implementation of the project in Afghanistan was suspended in 2021, but funding was resumed in 2024 after negotiations at the international level.
Once completed, CASA-1000 will allow up to 1.3 GW of electricity to be exported annually from Central Asian countries to South Asia.
