Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 1
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
The new power line Surkhan – Puli-Khumri between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan may become part of the Central Asia – South Asia power project (CASA-1000), Uzbek media reported referring to the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov.
“The construction of the Surkhan – Puli-Khumri power line will increase the supply of electricity from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan by 70 percent up to 6 billion kilowatt-hours per year. The power line will connect Kabul to the unified energy system of Central Asia. Moreover, this line can become an integral part of the CASA-1000 project,” Kamilov noted.
The agreement on the construction of the power line was signed during the visit of President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani to Uzbekistan in Dec. 2017. The project payback period is 12 years.
The capacity of the power line will be 1,000 megawatts, making it possible to export over 24 million kilowatt-hours per day. Construction financing will be provided by the Asian Development Bank.
The total cost of the project is $150 million, of which $118 million are invested by the Afghan side, and $32 million – by the Uzbek side. Uzbekistan plans to complete construction of the Uzbek section of the new Surkhan – Puli-Khumri power line in Dec. 2019.
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