The Trans-Caspian Green Corridor could emerge as a long-term strategic route for exporting surplus electricity generated from renewable energy sources (RES), Project Manager at the Secretariat of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Sergey Tulinov said at the Eurasian Development Bank’s Annual Meeting and Business Forum.
He said Central Asia could evolve into an energy hub connecting several regional power systems.
“The CASA-1000 project opens a southern corridor for exporting hydropower to Pakistan and, in the longer term, to India via Afghanistan. The northern corridor through Russia is important for maintaining the stability of interconnected power systems. There is also potential here for expansion and mutually beneficial cooperation,” Tulinov said.
He noted that China represents a major potential market, while the Trans-Caspian Green Corridor could serve as a long-term strategic route for exporting surplus renewable electricity.
According to him, each of these routes is relevant for expanding electricity trade in the future. However, external corridors cannot replace internal integration.
On the contrary, Tulinov stressed that their sustainability depends on how cohesive and integrated Central Asia’s internal power system becomes, both technologically and institutionally.
