What is the CASA-1000 project and how would it benefit Pakistani electricity consumers?

CASA-1000 is a regional project designed to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asian states, including Tajikistan, through Afghanistan into Pakistan's national grid. It would provide additional import capacity during summer months when Pakistan's power shortfall is most severe, potentially reducing load shedding and lowering dependence on expensive fuel-based generation.

When will Pakistan and Tajikistan meet in Istanbul to finalise CASA-1000 terms?

The Joint Working Group meeting is scheduled to take place in Istanbul later in June 2026. The meeting will focus on resolving the remaining commercial and operational matters before the project can move to an operational phase.

Does this CASA-1000 agreement mean my electricity bills will go down soon?

Not immediately. The Istanbul meeting still needs to produce agreed commercial terms before any power delivery timeline can be confirmed. CASA-1000 is a long-term supply-side measure that could eventually reduce load shedding and fuel cost pressures on bills, but near-term bill relief from this announcement alone is not expected.

Which distribution companies would receive electricity from CASA-1000?

CASA-1000 power would feed into Pakistan's national grid managed by NTDC (the National Transmission and Despatch Company), making it available in principle to all DISCOs including LESCO, MEPCO, PESCO, FESCO, IESCO, HESCO, QESCO, and GEPCO. K-Electric, which operates its own network in Karachi, would require separate interconnection arrangements.

What commercial issues still need to be resolved before CASA-1000 can supply power to Pakistan?

The specific outstanding issues were not publicly detailed at the Dushanbe session. The Joint Working Group meeting in Istanbul is tasked with finalising commercial and operational terms, which typically cover power pricing, offtake obligations, and grid interconnection protocols, before the project can be declared operational.

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Pakistan and Tajikistan Agree to Finalise CASA-1000 Power Terms in Istanbul

Pakistan and Tajikistan have agreed to hold a Joint Working Group meeting in Istanbul this month to finalise the outstanding commercial and operational terms for the CASA-1000 regional electricity supply project. The decision was reached at the 8th Joint Commission session in Dushanbe, co-chaired by Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, with both sides emphasising the need for timely project operationalisation.

PowerPost AI Bureau · Reviewed by Editorial TeamJun 8, 20263 min read0 views

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Pakistan and Tajikistan have agreed to convene a Joint Working Group meeting in Istanbul later this month to resolve the final commercial and operational terms for the Central Asia-South Asia (CASA-1000) regional electricity supply project, following the conclusion of the two countries' 8th Joint Commission session in Dushanbe on Thursday. The session was co-chaired by Pakistan's Power Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari and Tajik Energy Minister Jum'a Daler Shofaqir, who issued a joint statement stressing the need for the project's timely operationalisation.

What Is CASA-1000?

CASA-1000 is a long-running regional power interconnection project designed to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asian states, including Tajikistan, through Afghanistan and into Pakistan's national grid. The project's logic is built on seasonal complementarity: Central Asian rivers run at maximum capacity in summer, producing more electricity than the region consumes, while Pakistan faces its most severe power shortfalls during the same hot months when air-conditioning and industrial demand peaks. Under the framework, the two countries will exchange their respective surpluses and bridge each other's deficits on an alternating, seasonal basis.

For Pakistan, CASA-1000 represents a potential source of import capacity for a grid that regularly falls short of demand — contributing to the chronic load shedding affecting households and businesses served by distribution companies (DISCOs) such as LESCO, MEPCO, PESCO, FESCO, IESCO, HESCO, QESCO, GEPCO, and TESCO.

What Was Agreed in Dushanbe?

The joint statement issued after the session praised significant progress on CASA-1000 and emphasised that remaining work must be completed without delay. Both governments confirmed the Joint Working Group — the technical-commercial body overseeing project implementation — will meet in Istanbul later in June to settle the outstanding issues.

The Dushanbe session also covered a wide range of bilateral cooperation areas. Key agreements included:

Organising trade delegations and business-to-business meetings between the two countries
Exchanging information on tariffs, trade regulations, and investment opportunities
Establishing a three-year roadmap to grow bilateral trade to $200 million

Minister Leghari called for active follow-up on all decisions taken and stressed the importance of regional connectivity and investment cooperation between South and Central Asia.

The Istanbul Meeting and What Remains Outstanding

The Joint Working Group's Istanbul gathering is specifically tasked with finalising the commercial and operational matters that have kept CASA-1000 from moving to full operationalisation. While the broader diplomatic and engineering frameworks of the project have advanced considerably over the years, these final commercial terms — typically covering power pricing, offtake obligations, and grid interconnection protocols — represent the last significant barrier before electricity can flow under the agreement.

No specific timeline for power delivery to end consumers was announced at Dushanbe. The outcome of the Istanbul meeting will determine how quickly the project moves toward an operational start date.

What This Means for Pakistani Consumers

For households enduring hours of daily load shedding in cities such as Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, and Quetta, CASA-1000 is a long-term supply-side response to the demand-supply gap that drives both outages and the high fuel cost charges that appear on electricity bills each month. Additional import capacity could reduce the summer shortfall without requiring new and costly domestic generation investment.

Near-term bill relief is not expected from this announcement alone. The Istanbul meeting must first produce agreed commercial terms before any power delivery schedule can be confirmed. However, progress on CASA-1000 is a meaningful step toward reducing Pakistan's dependence on expensive fuel-based generation and easing the circular debt pressures that have weighed on the entire power sector.

Frequently Asked

Questions about this story

What is the CASA-1000 project and how would it benefit Pakistani electricity consumers?
CASA-1000 is a regional project designed to transmit surplus hydroelectric power from Central Asian states, including Tajikistan, through Afghanistan into Pakistan's national grid. It would provide additional import capacity during summer months when Pakistan's power shortfall is most severe, potentially reducing load shedding and lowering dependence on expensive fuel-based generation.
When will Pakistan and Tajikistan meet in Istanbul to finalise CASA-1000 terms?
The Joint Working Group meeting is scheduled to take place in Istanbul later in June 2026. The meeting will focus on resolving the remaining commercial and operational matters before the project can move to an operational phase.
Does this CASA-1000 agreement mean my electricity bills will go down soon?
Not immediately. The Istanbul meeting still needs to produce agreed commercial terms before any power delivery timeline can be confirmed. CASA-1000 is a long-term supply-side measure that could eventually reduce load shedding and fuel cost pressures on bills, but near-term bill relief from this announcement alone is not expected.
Which distribution companies would receive electricity from CASA-1000?
CASA-1000 power would feed into Pakistan's national grid managed by NTDC (the National Transmission and Despatch Company), making it available in principle to all DISCOs including LESCO, MEPCO, PESCO, FESCO, IESCO, HESCO, QESCO, and GEPCO. K-Electric, which operates its own network in Karachi, would require separate interconnection arrangements.
What commercial issues still need to be resolved before CASA-1000 can supply power to Pakistan?
The specific outstanding issues were not publicly detailed at the Dushanbe session. The Joint Working Group meeting in Istanbul is tasked with finalising commercial and operational terms, which typically cover power pricing, offtake obligations, and grid interconnection protocols, before the project can be declared operational.

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