CASA-1000 is an ambitious renewable energy infrastructure construction project that will bring 1,300 megawatts of surplus electricity from Central Asia to high demand electricity markets in South Asia through new energy infrastructure. Each region gains from this project. This multinational, multi-donor infrastructure project expands renewable energy access in Central and South Asia, delivering substantial benefits to regional power grids and individual electricity users in the region.

The Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have some of the world’s most abundant clean hydropower resources. With summer rainfall and significant water flow from the mountains, both countries produce surplus electricity during the summer. In neighboring South Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan contend with chronic electricity shortages, especially during the sweltering summer months. This leads to frequent power cuts that hurt industrial production, close small businesses, and endanger citizens who have no cooling opportunities during heat waves.

By connecting the four countries through a shared electricity transmission system, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan can sell clean hydropower-produced surplus electricity in summer months to millions of people live without electricity altogether. Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two South Asian countries are also working to improve overall electricity access.

Through their cooperation on CASA-1000, the governments of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan are harnessing clean energy, building a shared regional electricity market, fighting climate change, and increasing the standard of living for their populations.