Pakistan has formally requested Tajikistan to invoke open access clause under CASA-1000 agreement to allow two-way trade of electricity.
Under the agreement, Pakistan is bound to import 1,000MW of electricity per day at 9.50 cents per unit in the summer season from May to October.
The MoU states that Pakistan is not liable to pay for any electricity transit loss in Afghanistan in case of any untoward activity.
When Pakistan entered the agreement during 2016-17, there was an acute power shortage in the country. However, under CPEC, several energy projects were initiated and now the country has surplus electricity during the winter season.
Since it is a two-way trade agreement, the country now wants to export electricity to the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan in winter season using the same structure of CASA project.
Additional Secretary Power Division Waseem Mukhtar, who is attending the CAREC countries’ two days conference “Breaking the Investment Barrier in Central Asia,” said Pakistan will take up the matter during the next meeting.
“Pakistan will take up the issue and ask electricity supplier countries- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – to review the deal under open access clause ensuring the two-way electricity trade arguing that Pakistan is now surplus in electricity.’”
On Pakistan’s request, the issue has been included in the agenda of the next meeting.
The project includes a 750 kilometer-long high-voltage, direct current (DC) transmission line between Pakistan and Tajikistan via Afghanistan.
The project cost is estimated to be around $1.7 billion. Along with the transmission line, converter stations will also be constructed in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The country has already acquired the land in Nowshera for setting up a converter station.
