ADB Studies Investment Project to Increase Turkmen Electricity Supply to Afghanistan

Feb 3, 2011 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - EnergyCentral.com

In Ashgabat, representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are considering the partial financial support to the investment project to increase the Turkmen electricity supply to neighboring Afghanistan, an official Turkmen source said on Tuesday.

This project is considered with the direct participation of the Turkmen Energy and Industry Ministry, the state corporation "Turkmenenergo, and the Afghan delegation headed by Deputy Energy and Water Resources Minister Ghulam Faruq Qazizadah.

The negotiators are discussing options for the preparation of a feasibility study for the project. Afghanistan at this stage is considered as one of the main importers of Turkmen electricity, which goes in directions Serhetabat-Herat and MaryGES -- Andkhoy-Shebergan.

At the same time, Afghanistan's needs in new energy power increases, due to which Turkmenistan had planned to reconstruct the state units of the Mary power station and build a power transmission line 500 from the Mary power plant to the Turkmen-Afghan border to increase export volumes to the east.

Turkmenistan supplies power to Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey through the Iranian territory. The country now studies the possibility of entering the markets of Kazakhstan and Pakistan.

In accordance with the industry development strategy, by 2030 the level of electricity production in Turkmenistan is predicted to reach 35.5 billion kilowatts. For this purpose, 3 gas turbine power plants of a combined cycle with a total capacity of 1,122 megawatts will be constructed. The construction of high-voltage power transmission lines and substations will also continue, which will reduce electricity losses during transportation.

In the future, the country's energy system will be completely covered with high-voltage overhead power transmission lines of 500 kilovolts (kV) and there are plans to build overhead lines of 500 kV in Balkanabat-Ashgabat-Mary by 2020, which will allow mutual provision for eastern and western parts of Turkmenistan.

Plans are also underway to build circular power transmission lines of 220 kV to increase the stability of the capital's power supply. With the view of more reliable power supply from the Amu Darya's bank, the plans include the construction of Parakhat Pelvert-Atamyrat line.

There are also plans to build a 220 kV transmission line Mary-Tahtabazar to supply power to the gas fields of Southern Yoloten, Gurrukbil, Garabil and increase exports to Afghanistan.