Power line TAP to step up economic progress in Afghanistan
The Afghan budget will receive additional revenue in the amount of US $ 50 million of transit fees from transmission line project Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP), reports TOLONews with reference to energy ministry advisor Yahya Hazem. Fiber optic link and 500 KV electricity transmission line TAP will pass along the route of the transnational TAPI gas pipeline. According to the official, the practical work on this project will start soon. The 700-km long Afghan section of the electric power line will run from Herat to Kandahar in parallel to the TAPI gas route. From Kandahar, one branch will enter Pakistan, and the other one will cross from west to east inside Afghanistan and, eventually, will be connected to the energy grids of Kabul and Jalalabad. Last week as part of the ceremony the next phase of TAPI and other related projects, the parties signed an intergovernmental agreement on TAP. The Chief Executive Officer Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Afghanistan Atiqullah Nusrat also commented on the importance of supplying Turkmen electricity along the new route, noting that TAP will not only bring economic benefits, but will also solve electricity deficit in the western regions of the country. Last year the Asian Development Bank has pledged to invest in the implementation of the TAP project in Afghanistan US $ 150 million. According to representatives of the Bank, in addition to financial support, ADB will also provide technical assistance to three countries participating in the project. The starting point of TAP will be Mary state power station – the largest power plant in Central Asia. At earlier stage the transmission line, passing through the western and southern provinces of Afghanistan, will supply to Pakistan up to 1,700 MW of electricity, and later the export volume will increase to 4,000 MW. Currently, Turkmenistan exports its electricity to the northern regions of the neighboring country. In turn, the additional route of the Turkmen electric energy flow will contribute to the advanced revival of Afghan economy.
