Reviving the CASA-1000 Project in Afghanistan: Construction Set to Resume

After a hiatus of two and a half years, work on the Afghanistan portion of the Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000) is poised to restart. The project had been put on hold in August 2021 due to the political turmoil in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power.

CASA-1000 is a $1.2 billion regional initiative involving a 1,270km power transmission line intended to transmit hydropower from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan via Afghanistan. Approved by the World Bank Board in March 2014 and financed by the International Development Association (IDA), the project had made significant progress before the pause. About 18% of the transmission line towers in Afghanistan had been erected, and 95% of the necessary materials and equipment had been supplied to complete the project in the country.

While operations in Afghanistan were halted, construction activities continued in Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, with significant progress made in all three countries. The World Bank confirmed that work is nearing completion in these nations, signaling a positive outlook for the overall project’s success.

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