Pakistan reviews CASA-1000 feasibility while finding alternative energy resources.
Islamabad, Pakistan: Ongoing civil war in Afghanistan and deteriorating Pak-Afghan relations are compelling Pakistan to review CASA-1000 project and finding alternative energy resources.
According to sources, ministry of Water and Power of Government of Pakistan is reviewing CASA-1000 project that was inaugurated in May 2016 for exporting electricity energy from Central Asian countries, (Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic) via Afghanistan.
Route of CASA-1000 is critical as it includes the construction of 477km high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line from Dakta in Kyrgyz Republic to Khojend in the North of Tajikistan and 750km transmission line between Sagtuda in Southern part of Tajikistan to Peshawar in Pakistan via Kabul, Afghanistan. The line route will cross about 117km in Tajikistan, 562km across Afghanistan and finally 71km in Pakistan.
Afghan Taliban are building pressure at north of Afghanistan from where this transmission lines are designed to travel.
Another project of energy that is Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI) is also proposed on Afghan route as TAPI pipeline will be constructed alongside the Kandahar–Herat Highway in western Afghanistan.
Energy experts believe that any energy source that will come from Afghanistan to Pakistan cannot be considered reliable and no future planning can be done by energy experts over such sources due to constant civil war in Afghanistan and diminishing Pak-Afghan relations.
Meanwhile, ministry of Water and Power has again initiated spade work to reconsider Iran Pakistan Pipeline and Iranian offer to export electricity to Pakistan. However, sources claim that Pakistan is under pressure from United States to follow TAPI and CASA-1000 instead of adopting any solution of energy crises from through Iranian route.
