Turkish firm to lay 750 km power line in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - Turkish firm Calik Holding on Wednesday inked a deal worth $1.6 billion for Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan (TAP) power transmission project.

In a statement, Afghanistan’s Presidential Palace said the Turkish firm would work on establishing the transmission line stretching 750 kilometers (466 miles) from Torghundi city of Herat province to Spin Boldak town of Kandahar province and then continuing to Quetta in Pakistan.

Afghanistan expects to receive up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity from Turkmenistan and $100 million in transit fees per year for another 1,000 megawatts of electricity that would be transmitted to Pakistan.

The project is set to be completed in three years.

The Turkish Embassy in Kabul hailed the landmark agreement. It said Turkey would continue to support regional connectivity projects as they contribute to the infrastructural and economic development of Afghanistan.