World Bank is said to be considering different options to complete the “troubled” Central Asia-South Asia (CASA) 1000 project.

This was indicated by Hartwig Schafer, Vice President South Asia Region, to Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Mian Asad Haya ud-Din in response to his letter of January 16, 2022, to Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director for Operations at the World Bank.

The Central Asia-South Asia (CASA-1000) $1.2 billion project which will bring 1300 megawatts (MW) of seasonal power from Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic to Afghanistan and Pakistan has been put on ice after Taliban took over.

A Joint Working Group (JWG), consisting of a high-level government representative from each of the four countries constituted to discuss the project constraints suggested that a meeting of JWG should be convened to seek clarity on the project’s future.

“We share your concern regarding the importance of completing the implementation of the CASA-1000 transmission component in Afghanistan. This is critical for the project to function as an integrated transmission corridor across the four participating countries. Given the importance of the project in supporting regional economic development and in increasing the efficiency of power supply across the region, the World Bank remains committed to the Project. We are therefore exploring several options to ensure the continuation of the entire CASA-1000 project,” said Hartwig Schafer.

He also encouraged all member countries to continue with the current pace of implementation of the CASA-1000 project to achieve mutual benefits the project offers. The WB team will continue to support all countries, including Pakistan in achieving the project’s development objectives.

The story was originally published in Business Recorder on February 26, 2022.