Farhad Mahmoudi, head of projects at the Taliban's Ministry of Energy and Water, has announced that the ministry is close to reaching an agreement with the World Bank to start the CASA-1000 project.
The practical implementation of this project is expected to commence soon. Mahmoudi stated that the project could generate an annual revenue of $65 million for the Taliban administration.
During a presentation on Saturday of the ministry's annual achievements, Mahmoudi said, "We are in contact with the World Bank, agreements have been reached on their part, and [the project] will soon begin, with completion expected by 2026."
He emphasised that once the project is operational, the transit of electricity to Pakistan will generate $65 million annually.
Last year in March, the World Bank announced that construction on the CASA-1000 power transmission line would resume in Afghanistan, following requests from the participating countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.
As per the World Bank's guidelines, all payments related to the construction of the CASA-1000 project will be managed outside of Afghanistan, bypassing the Taliban's administrative control.
Although the project faced delays after the Taliban's rise to power, the World Bank disclosed late last year that the available $110 million for the project would be utilised.
The CASA-1000 project is designed to transmit electricity from Central Asia to South Asia. It was officially inaugurated in 2016 in Tajikistan, with leaders from the region in attendance. The original completion date was set for March 2022.
The transmission line, with a capacity of 500 kilowatts, will traverse seven Afghan provinces before reaching Pakistan.
Additionally, Mahmoudi highlighted that the Taliban's Ministry of Energy is investing in natural and renewable energy production in Afghanistan's warmer regions, such as Farah and Paktika. He mentioned that three contracts have been signed with a private company, but he did not disclose further details about these projects or the contracting entity.
