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6 November 2007 - Four countries are expected to give the green light this month to a project that would lead to the first significant electricity transfer from central Asia and help resolve seasonal power shortages in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
If approved, the main beneficiary is set to be Pakistan, whose fast-growing economy is being reined in by a power generation deficit of about 1500 MW.
Representatives from the four countries are due to meet in Kabul on November 16 to sign a preliminary agreement.
The governments are expected to contribute some financing, but the bulk of the money will come from multilateral organisations.
Raghuveer Sharma, who leads the World Bank's energy programme for central Asia, forecast that construction could start in "a year to 15 months" and be completed between 2010 and 2012.
In an initial phase, adding the lines would cost about $500m and would serve to transfer about 1000 MW of additional electricity to Pakistan. But he said that eventually the flow could be quadrupled if as much as $5bn of mooted hydroelectric projects were given the go-ahead.
Central Asia uses all of its electricity in the winter and is left with a power surplus in summer, which could be exported as the timing coincides with peak demand in hotter regions further south.
The main transmission route will serve Pakistan directly because of the high cost of building a connecting branch to Afghanistan, the transit country.
But to avoid political tensions and help electricity-starved Afghanistan, the project foresees the construction of a smaller, independent set of transmission lines between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
Separately, Afghanistan is working on adding 300 MW of power from a new transmission route from Uzbekistan. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, finance minister, said the transmission lines should be completed by next summer.
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