DUSHANBE, November 22, 2013, Asia-Plus -- Consultative meetings on assessment studies for the Central Asia South Asia Electricity Trade and Transmission Project (CASA 1000) will be held in Dushanbe, Khujand (Sughd province) and Qurghon Teppa (Khatlon province) in early December.

These meetings are reportedly organized by the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan under support of the Tajik Branch of the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) and NGO Kuhiston (Tajikistan).

The consultative meetings will discuss the Regional Environmental Assessment (EA), the Social Impact Assessment, and the draft Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the CASA 1000 Project. 

The CASA 1000 Project is expected to develop the necessary physical infrastructure and create the institutional and legal framework to transmit surplus power available from existing generation facilities in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The physical infrastructure for CASA 1000 is likely to include: a 500 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system between Tajikistan and Pakistan through Afghanistan; an AC transmission link from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to connect to the HVDC line from Tajikistan to South Asia;  and the necessary electricity sub-stations in Kabul, Peshawar and Sangtuda (in Tajikistan).

We will recall that representatives from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan gathered in Islamabad, Pakistan in September for a ministerial meeting to discuss financing and environmental and social assessments related to the CASA 1000.

The sides reportedly signed an inter-governmental council (IGC) resolution.  Through the IGC, the four countries are working together to arrive at decisions on project implementation and operation, policies and rules, and technical, safety and environmental standards.