Central Asia to assist Afghanistan in providing electricity
The Central Asian region will assist Afghanistan in providing electricity. As Ulugbek Mustafayev, chairman of the board of the state-owned “Uzbekenergo”, told journalists, Uzbekistan intends to link Afghanistan to the unified energy ring of Central Asia. According to Mustafayev, Uzbekistan has begun construction of a new Surkhan-Pul-e-Khumri power transmission line, which will connect the energy system of Afghanistan to the unified energy system of Uzbekistan and Central Asia. The head of “Uzbekenergo” stressed that the implementation of this project will allow Afghanistan to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with all neighboring power systems. Uzbek media referring to the Senior Adviser to the President of Afghanistan on Economic Affairs and Infrastructure Muhammad Humayun Qayumi also reported that the Asian Development Bank will provide financing for this project, the project is expected to be completed for a maximum of two years. The total preliminary cost of construction of the transmission line will be $150 million, of which $32 million will be directed to Uzbekistan. The remaining $118 million will be sent for works in Afghanistan. The length of the line will be 260 kilometers, of which 45 will lie on the territory of Uzbekistan and 215 - in Afghanistan. The payback period of the project is 12 years. The capacity of the new transmission line is estimated at 1,000 MW, which will allow exporting 24 million kWh per day, about 6 billion kWh per year. The settlement of the situation in Afghanistan through involving country in the implementation of major regional and international infrastructure projects is a priority of Turkmenistan’s policy towards the neighboring state. Thus, Ashgabat initiated the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission and fiber-optic lines, as well as Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan railway. Turkmenistan has been supplying electricity to the northern provinces of Afghanistan for a long time at preferential prices. At the session of the Turkmen government in the middle of this month, the issue on completion of construction of a new transmission line on the Afghan territory, which will significantly increase the volumes of Turkmen electricity supplies to the neighboring country, was considered.
