Pakistan to Get an Extension for $1.2 Billion Hydroelectric Power Project

The World Bank is considering extending the deadline for the $1.2 billion Central Asia-South Asia Electricity Transmission and Trade Project (CASA-1000) until December 31, 2028, following Pakistan’s formal request for a three-year extension, sources informed ProPakistani. According to officials, the construction of the Nowshera converter station in Pakistan is 99 percent complete, and all 376 transmission towers on the line from Nowshera to the National Grid have been installed, exceeding the original plan of 375 towers. The World Bank mission recently reviewed CASA-1000 installations in Pakistan, while similar construction work has already been completed in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. In Afghanistan, where work had previously stalled, more than 102 transmission towers have now been installed as construction activities have resumed. In anticipation of further delays, Pakistan’s National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has been instructed to prepare an interim maintenance plan for the converter and electrode stations. The $1.2 billion CASA-1000 project aims to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asia to South Asia through Afghanistan and Pakistan.