BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, December 13. The CASA-1000 energy project is set to launch in May next year, the Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Energy, Taalaibek Ibraev, said during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on international affairs, defense, security, and migration, Trend reports.
"If there's additional funding, we aim to kick off the CASA-1000 project in May 2024. We just need to add $8.7 million more. The World Bank will soon allocate this money in a tranche," he said.
He highlighted that Tajikistan has completed 99.9 percent of the project. Pakistan also plans to finalize its part by next year.
CASA-1000 is an infrastructure initiative designed to transmit 1,300 megawatts of surplus electricity from Central Asian countries, specifically Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, to meet the high electricity demands in South Asian countries, namely Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The project involves modernizing the electrical grids in these participating countries by constructing new substations and high-voltage power transmission lines. It was firstly approved in March 2014.