KABUL - A framework agreement for the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP) Power Interconnection Project would help the war-torn nation meet its energy needs and enable power trade among the three countries.
Charymyrat Purchekov, Turkmenistan’s minister of energy, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani and Pakistan’s Minister of State for Petroleum Jam Kamal Khan signed the agreement in Serhetabad on Feb. 23.
In a statement on Wednesday, ADB Country Director Samuel Tumiwahailed the TAP power interconnection project as a good mechanism for strengthening partnerships and enabling power trade among the three countries.
“It also shows the desire of the countries for peace, stability and economic development,” Tumiwasaid, adding the power trade would utilise existing infrastructure as well as promote collaboration through new transmission investments in the three countries.
TAP will be phased into two concurrent stages. The first phase, to be completed by 2021, will use the existing infrastructure under the ADB-financed Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) power interconnection project which aims to export power from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The second phase, to be completed by 2022, will transfer power from Turkmenistan through the border of Serhetabad and Torghundy into Herat, Kandaharand Spin Boldak and export to Chaman and Quetta.
Options will be explored to especially optimize and use any excess power or transmission capacity during the winter months -- from October to April -- through the integration with Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) system.
The project will include the construction of around 500 kilometres of 500 kilovolt transmission line between Turkmenistan, Afghanistanand Pakistan.
Once completed, the project will be able transfer up to 4,000 megawatts of power from Turkmenistan into Afghanistan and Pakistan.
ADB, as an anchor development partner in the energy sectors of the three countries, would continue assisting in the preparation of analytical studies for systems stability, reliabilityand grid interconnection.
It will also assist in conducting studies for regulatory and legal, technical, commercialand systems dispatch; as well as project assessment, including project feasibility, technical design, and preparation.

ADB will also help coordinate project planning and the provision of financing; facilitate energy trade negotiations among the 3 countries; finalise an implementation roadmap; and finance the investment project. (Pajhwok)