Turkmenistan is taking consistent steps to increase the volumes and diversify the routes of electricity supply to Afghanistan. Myrat Artykov, the head of the Ministry of Energy's International Projects Department for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan direction, shared details about current and planned initiatives in this area at the Turkmen-Afghan Business Forum in Ashgabat, Orient reports.
Currently, electricity is supplied from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan through routes such as Kerki-Andkhoy, Serhetabat-Herat, Serhetabat-Turgundi, Rabatkashan-Kalainau, and Zelili-Akina. Artykov noted that since the establishment of cooperation in this field between the two countries, the volumes of Turkmen electricity sent to Afghanistan have been increasing each year.
In January 2021, the Kerki Power Station with a capacity of 500 kW and the power transmission line Kerki-Andkhoy-Shiberghan-Mazar-i-Sharif were commissioned. The Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan constructed the 500 kW power station in the city of Kerki, a power transmission line spanning 388 km from the Mary Hydroelectric Power Station to the city of Kerki, and a 500 kW power transmission line from Kerki, extending 62 km to the Turkmen-Afghan border for the implementation of this project.
According to the agreement between "Turkmenenergo" and "Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat" (DABS), electricity is currently transmitted at 220 kV. There are plans to extend this line to the Afghan capital, Kabul, and supply electricity with a capacity of 500 kV.
In 2024, Turkmenistan intends to send a total of 1,835,300 kWh of electricity to Afghanistan.
To meet the electricity demand in the Afghan provinces of Herat, Farah, and Kandahar, support the socio-economic development of the country, and facilitate its successful integration into international economic ties, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan power transmission project has been initiated.
The investor for this project is the Turkish company "Calik Holding A.S." According to the presented concept by the company, the project is planned to be implemented in three stages.
The first stage involves the construction of a power transmission line from the Mary Hydroelectric Power Station to the province of Herat, spanning 375 km and with a capacity of 220 kV. The second stage includes energy lines from Mary Hydroelectric Power Station to Quetta city in Pakistan, covering 1150 km and with a capacity of 500 kV. The third stage comprises a 220 kV power transmission line spanning 575 km from the Herat province to the Kandahar province in Afghanistan.
During the implementation of the first stage in August 2021, the investor company completed the construction and installation works on the Turkmen side, and the new power transmission system is ready to connect to Afghanistan's energy system. The investor company also conducted a major overhaul of the existing 110 kV power transmission line from the Turkmen-Afghan border to the Afghan city of Herat and prepared the power transmission system to operate at 220 kV capacity, all done on a non-repayable basis.
Currently, construction and installation works are underway to expand the "Nur-ul-Jihad" power station in Herat. Modern technological equipment will be installed there this month, followed by commissioning activities.
The commissioning of this crucial facility will increase the volume of electricity supplied from Turkmenistan to Herat from the current 70 MW to 120 MW.
The business forum also highlighted the expansion of trade and economic relations between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The trade volume between the two countries was $457 million in 2023, and positive growth rates are maintained in 2024. In January of the current year, bilateral trade reached $46 million, more than doubling compared to the same period last year.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 4, 2024