Grids from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan could be connected

Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The electricity grids of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan could be connected through hundreds of miles of power lines, a regional lender said Wednesday.

A trilateral agreement was signed in Turkmenistan that outlined long-term power supply and trade between the three nations. The Asian Development Bank said the exchange would be supportive of Afghanistan's needs in particular.

"TAP power interconnection project is not only a good mechanism for strengthening partnerships and enabling power trade among the three countries, but it also shows the desire of the countries for peace, stability, and economic development," Samuel Tumiwa, ADB country director for Afghanistan, said in a statement.

Project plans call for the construction of 310 miles of transmission lines from Turkmenistan, through Afghanistan and into Pakistan. An initial phase, which could be completed by 2021, will utilize existing infrastructure from an ADB-funded interconnector. A later phase would start power transfers from Turkmenistan starting in 2022.

The grid plan is the latest in efforts to connect the region. A natural gas pipeline that New Delhi dubbed a new "Silk Road," the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, could carry natural gas from Turkmenistan's Dauletabad gas field.

The planned route of the gas pipeline would take it through Afghanistan's Kandahar province, where the Taliban are fighting international forces and the Afghan government.

Critics note that Afghanistan doesn't have the infrastructure needed to host the pipeline and security in the country is a major concern.

In 2015, the ADB approved $1.2 billion in grants to bolster the Afghan energy sector to be distributed in tranches over the next decade. The bank sees energy demand growing by nearly twice the rate of the economy in Afghanistan, though nearly all of its supplies come from neighboring countries.

The power development comes amid efforts to reach a settlement to one of the longest conflicts in modern history. The Taliban this week responded to U.S. statements on dialogue by saying direct talks were necessary. War, the group said, was imposed upon it and not its first choice.

"For ending the occupation, we want a peaceful resolution to the Afghan issue," a Taliban statement read.