ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Power, Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, on Thursday proposed establishing a regional energy market, modelled on the European Energy Grid, aiming to help countries in the region fully utilise their renewable and conventional energy resources.
The Minister presented the proposal during a meeting in Islamabad with the Minister for Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ibrarv Taalaibek Omukeevich, said a statement issued by Pakistan’s press information department.
Awais Leghari emphasised the need for a practical approach to implementing the CASA-1000 project, a $1.2 billion electricity transmission project aimed at delivering surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Highlighting remarks by Pakistan’s leadership on the importance of Afghanistan’s stability for regional connectivity, he stressed that the success of any regional energy initiative relies on strong cooperation among partner countries.
He informed the Kyrgyz Minister that Pakistan’s segment of the CASA-1000 project is slated for completion by mid-2026 and proposed exploring all possible avenues to further enhance the project’s economic feasibility, given the investments made by both nations.
Additionally, he suggested including Pakistan’s northern areas in the feasibility studies for a joint Kyrgyz-China transmission project, underscoring the potential for expanded regional energy collaboration.
Both sides agreed to organise an expert-level meeting in Bishkek with participants from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and the World Bank to formulate a joint strategy.
The Kyrgyzstan Minister for Energy said that his country is ready to extend all sorts of cooperation in order to further boost the existing ties between the two countries.
