Pakistan to export electricity to Tajikistan in winter through CASA-1000

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to export electricity to Tajikistan in winter season through CASA-1000 project as in the power purchase agreement (PPA), a reverse flow of electricity clause was included and to this effect the authorities in Power Division would soon engage their counterparts in Tajikistan, a senior official of Power Division told The News.

Under the agreement, the official said, once the CASA-1000 project is completed, Pakistan will import 1,000MW electricity from Tajikistan at 9 cents per unit in summer season for 5 months from May to September, but now authorities in Islamabad have made up their mind to export 1,000MW electricity to Tajikistan through the same project in winter as hydro generation in Tajikistan turns zero.

The official said Pakistan has now gained the capacity to generate electricity close to 30,000MW and in winter the demand in Pakistan hovers around 11,000-13,000MW at the maximum and the country is in a position to export the surplus electricity up to 1,000MW to Tajikistan at affordable prices, as CASA transmission line possesses the capacity to transmit electric power up to 1,000MW only. “And if Pakistan enters the deal for export of 1,000MW power at the same price of 9 cents, then net financial impact will be zero on both the countries as the electricity of the same quantity from both sides will be swapped (traded) in different seasons which means that Pakistan will import electricity in summer and export it to Tajikistan in winter,” said the official. The construction agreement has been signed among four countries under the project CASA-1000.

Under the master agreement of CASA-1000, a transmission line would originate in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan and pass through Afghanistan to reach Pakistan.