OREANDA-NEWS. January 26, 2011.  A regular meeting of the technical working group under the project for increasing electricity exports from Turkmenistan to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is conducting a regular meeting in Ashgabat. The Afghan delegation, which had arrived in the Turkmen capital a day before, is led by Acting Deputy Minister of Energy and Water Gulam Faruk Kazyzade. Turkmenistan is represented at the meeting by the high-ranking officials and specialists of the Ministry of Energy and Industry, the Turkmenenergo State Energy Corporation and the Turkmenenergotaslama Design Institute. The Asian Development Bank, which is viewed as a potential investor, who would finance Afghanistan’s project component, is represented at the meeting for the first time.

In their reports the meeting participants emphasized that both Turkmenistan and Afghanistan attached considerable significance to expansion of mutually advantageous partnership in the fuel and energy sector and power industry, in particular. In this regard it was noted that due to President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s constructive policy aimed at promoting international and regional cooperation Turkmen-Afghan economic ties were dynamically strengthened. Vivid evidence for that was the project of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, which had received a powerful impetus to further last December during the Summit of the leaders of the participating countries.

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan also have the experience of mutually advantageous partnership in the power sector. In particular, Afghanistan is one of the major importers of Turkmen electric power. Today, Afghan consumers receive electric power from Turkmenistan via two lines: Serhetabat-Herat and Mary power station-Andhoi-Shirbigan.

It was also noted that the economic growth of neighboring Afghanistan as well as the potential of Turkmen power industry increased significantly in recent years created the conditions conducive to further mutually beneficial partnership in the energy sector. Noting that the electricity demand steadily rose in their country, the Afghan participants emphasized that they viewed Turkmenistan as a dependable and longstanding partner in ensuring stable electricity exports.

Putting emphasis put on importance of the project for increasing Turkmen electricity exports to Afghanistan, the Afghan specialists presented the detailed reports on the growing energy demand in their country and the terms of financing the project under discussion and the mechanisms for investment returns.

The Turkmen specialists made the presentations on existing electrical generating facilities in the country, advanced technologies applied in industry and future projects aimed at increasing the production capacity of the domestic power industry to the Afghan counterparts. It was noted that power stations and power transmission lines built in Turkmenistan in the shortest period of time had enabled to increase dramatically the potential of the power industry, meet 100% electricity demand in the country and enhance electricity exports to foreign markets. In particular, it is planned to reconstruct power generating units at the Mary State Power Plant and build a 500-power transmission line from the Mary power station to the Turkmen-Afghan border that will enable to increase electricity exports eastwards.

The representative of the Asian Development Bank focused on the importance of supplying Turkmen electricity to consumers in Afghanistan and said that the Bank intended to explore the possibility to finance Afghanistan’s component of the project of critical international and regional significance

The meeting of the Turkmen-Afghan technical working group is expected to finish on January 26. The participants are to discuss a number of technical and commercial aspects of the further activities, in particular to prepare a feasibility report.