A high-level delegation led by Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif will leave for Tajikistan on Monday to participate in a two-day joint commission meeting being held at Dushanbe to finalise laying of transmission line for 1000MW electricity to Pakistan.
The WAPDA chairman, National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman and NTC chairman besides senior officials from the ministry of foreign affairs, ministry of water and power and national highway authority Tajikistan would be part of the delegation.
The delegation would finalise the laying of transmission line of 500 KV to import 1000 MW hydel electricity under Central Asia South Asia (CASA-1000) project.
Work on the transmission line having a total length of 750 kilometer would be completed by the end of 2018 with an estimated cost of 1,160 million US dollars. According to the embassy of Tajikistan, the said transmission line of 500 KV would also be utilised for transmitting more than 300 MW hydel electricity to Pakistan from another state of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan.
The feasibility report about the CASA 1000 project had already been completed and working on the laying of transmission line from Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan would begin from May this year according to the embassy.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will also participate in the transmission line laying of ceremony scheduled to be held in Tajikistan in May this year. Working on another transmission line of same capacity of 500KV from Tajikistan to Pakistan via Wakhan Strip bordering Afghanistan would also be discussed in the meeting of joint commission of the two countries.
The joint commission of both the countries was working on the implementation of CASA-1000 MW project and its upcoming meeting would finalise the time-frame from start to completion of the transmission line.
When asked about financing of the project, the sources in the embassy said that a total estimated cost of the project was 1,160 million US dollars as per the feasibility study finalised with the support of World Bank.
Financing from the IDA (World Bank) Islamic Development Bank, Arab Group and other donors was under consideration. A multi-donor trust fund was also being established for this project. The commission would also discuss the progress of MOUs and agreements signed between the two countries last year during the visit of President of Tajikistan Imomali Rahmon to Pakistan. During the visit of President of Tajikistan, a number of MOUs and agreements were signed to enhance trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
