Recently, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan announced that the cross-border high-voltage transmission

line CASA-1000 (Central Asia-South Asia) is expected to be officially put into operation in 2027. The project aims to connect the

energy systems of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with Afghanistan and Pakistan, forming an important link in regional energy interconnection.
“The CASA-1000 project is the largest regional project involving four countries,” said Darel Juma, Minister of Energy and Water

Resources of Tajikistan, in Dushanbe. “Currently, construction work in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has been completed, and

construction in Pakistan is also progressing rapidly. It is expected that all construction tasks in the Pakistan section will be

completed in the first half of this year.”

The cross-border high-voltage transmission line CASA-1000 project has indeed faced some challenges in recent years, especially

the construction of the Afghan section, which was once stalled due to funding issues. Minister Juma revealed: “After a long

period of international negotiations and coordination, development partners have resumed funding for the Afghan section.

Currently, the construction of the Afghan section is progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

The entire project will be fully operational in 2027.”

The construction of the cross-border high-voltage transmission line CASA-1000 is of great significance for promoting regional

energy cooperation. Once put into operation, it will enable Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to export up to 1,300 megawatts of surplus

electricity to South Asian countries in the summer, thereby promoting the formation of a unified electricity market and facilitating

energy transactions throughout the year. The project has received support from a number of international financial institutions

and donor organizations, including the World Bank Group, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction

and Development, and the European Investment Bank.

It is reported that the construction of the cross-border high-voltage transmission line CASA-1000 project began in May 2016. So far,

Tajikistan has almost completed all related work, leaving only finishing tasks such as adjustment and connection. Kyrgyzstan’s energy

infrastructure construction will also be fully completed in November 2024. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, the national power

company of Afghanistan, said: “After being postponed for two years, the project resumed construction in May 2024 with financial

support from the World Bank. We expect the project to be fully completed by the end of 2025. The restart of this project fully

demonstrates the common needs and firm confidence of regional countries in energy interconnection.”