Kyrgyzstan News 14 October 2026 10:19 (UTC +04:00)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 14. Kyrgyzstan reaffirmed the completion of its infrastructure for the CASA-1000 regional electricity transmission project, bringing the initiative closer to commercial operation.
This was reported in a press release issued by the National Electric Grid of Kyrgyzstan (NESK).
According to the publication, representatives of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, along with international project partners, discussed the implementation status of CASA-1000 during a joint working group meeting held in Bishkek.
The participants reviewed construction progress across the participating countries, as well as the technical and commercial readiness of the energy infrastructure. Kyrgyzstan confirmed that construction work on its territory had been completed, while representatives of the other countries outlined outstanding tasks.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan added that the discussions also covered the selection of an operator for the direct-current converter stations, regular monitoring of outstanding activities and financing needed to complete the remaining work.
To note, CASA-1000 is a regional electricity transmission project designed to export surplus summer hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its planned transmission capacity is 1,300 megawatts, including 300 MW for Afghanistan and 1,000 MW for Pakistan.
Kyrgyzstan completed construction of its section in November 2024, installing 1,243 transmission towers along a 456.06-kilometer power line. In March 2025, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan interconnected their power systems through the Datka-Sughd transmission line built under the project.
According to the World Bank’s January 2026 update, the main outstanding section was the transmission line in Afghanistan, where construction resumed in December 2024 after a prolonged interruption. At that time, full project completion was expected by the end of 2027, with commercial operation dependent on the completion and testing of the entire system.