Caravan.info reports that During a one-day visit to Tajikistan, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, along with the leaders of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, participated in a video conference ceremony marking the launch of the 500 kV Datka–Sugd power transmission line as part of the CASA-1000 project.
According to the Ministry of Energy, construction work on the CASA-1000 project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan was completed in 2025, and the completion of construction in Pakistan is expected in the current year. By 2027, the full completion of construction in Afghanistan and the start of commercial operation of the CASA-1000 project are anticipated.
The total cost of the entire project is more than US$1.2 billion, with the construction in the Tajik and Kyrgyz sections of the project amounting to about US$544 million, which constitutes 45.3% of the total project cost.
The CASA-1000 project is financed by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and other international partners.
Green electricity will be exported from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan during the summer months.
As part of the CASA-1000 project, new energy infrastructure has been built:
- The 500 kV power line from the Datka Substation in Kyrgyzstan to the Sugd 500 kV Substation in Tajikistan has been completed, spanning about 480 km. This will allow electricity to be directed in both directions and improve the stability of the Central Asian power grid.
In Kyrgyzstan, the project involved installing 1,243 towers, constructing a 456 km power line, and adding an additional 500 kV switchgear at the Datka Substation. The line extends from this substation through the Jalal-Abad, Osh, and Batken regions to the border with Tajikistan.
- The Sangtuda Converter Station is not only the first converter station in the Central Asian region, but also the largest converter station in the CIS. The infrastructure for DC power from Tajikistan to Pakistan creates an energy bridge between the two regions: Central and South Asia, enabling the transmission of up to 11 billion kWh of electricity annually.
- Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will jointly export green electricity to Pakistan in an amount of up to 5 billion kWh per year, or about 5% of Pakistan’s total electricity consumption. The revenue from electricity exports for both countries is estimated to be more than US$250 million annually.
- As part of the CASA-1000 Community Support Project, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have secured more than $50 million in financing to build social and economic infrastructure in 153 settlements, benefiting over 320,000 residents in both countries.
- The CASA-1000 project marks a new chapter in the history of cooperation between Central and South Asian countries, fostering strengthened neighborly relations, improving the well-being of the population, and ensuring sustainable economic growth in the region.
