DUSHANBE, Tajikistan — A long-delayed regional power transmission project connecting Central and South Asia is expected to become operational in 2027, Tajikistan’s energy minister said Monday.
Daler Juma, Tajikistan’s minister of energy and water resources, said that construction of the CASA-1000 (Central Asia-South Asia) high-voltage power line, which will link the energy grids of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan, is progressing, with work in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan already completed.
“Fortunately, construction work in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been completed. Construction in Pakistan is advancing rapidly and is expected to be finished in the first half of this year,” Juma said in remarks reported by the Interfax news agency.
A major obstacle to the project had been the suspension of funding for the Afghan section by international development partners, he said.
“After prolonged negotiations, development partners acknowledged the project’s significance, and funding for Afghanistan’s section was resumed last year. Construction is now underway, and we expect it to be completed by the end of 2026. The entire project should be fully operational in 2027,” Juma said.
The CASA-1000 project, one of the region’s largest energy initiatives, aims to create a unified electricity market and year-round energy trade. Once operational, it will allow Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to export up to 1,300 megawatts of surplus electricity to South Asian countries during the summer months.
The initiative is backed by several international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank, among others.
Construction on the CASA-1000 project officially began in May 2016 but has faced repeated delays. Tajikistan had nearly completed all necessary work on its section by early February, with only adjustments and connections remaining, Juma said. Kyrgyzstan finalized its portion of the infrastructure in November 2024.
Afghanistan’s national power company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, now under Taliban control, said that after a two-year delay, the project resumed in May 2024 with financial backing from the World Bank. The relaunch was initiated at the request of regional governments, the company said, adding that Afghanistan remains committed to meeting all necessary conditions for the project’s completion.
