A ceremony was held in Mary province to mark the launch of the most important stage of the TAP construction project - a section of the new interstate energy highway passing through the territory of our country - the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan high-voltage power line.

In accordance with the Decree signed by the head of state on January 24, the Ministry of Energy signed an agreement with TAPP-500 Power Transmission Line FZE, a subsidiary of Çalik Holding A.Ş. (Republic of Turkey), on the construction of a 220 power transmission line kW to the Turkmen-Afghan border in the direction of Mary hydroelectric station - the city of Herat (IRA).

The vice-premier Charymyrat Purchchekov, the head of Çalik Holding Ahmed Chalyk, representatives of the country's Ministry of Energy and foreign experts, heads and employees of etrap khakimliks, residents of the velayat took part in today's celebration.

As you know, the foundation laying ceremony of the new energy bridge was held in February 2018 with the participation of the heads of state and government of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. At the same time, the start was given to the construction of the TAPI gas pipeline section and the TAP fiber-optic communication line passing through Afghanistan.

In addition to the energy supply of all infrastructure facilities of this highway, the future power transmission line will provide the opportunity to export electricity to Pakistan and other countries of South Asia in transit through Afghanistan.

As emphasized at the ceremony, the construction of the TAP will give a powerful impetus to the economic development of the region, and will contribute to solving social and humanitarian issues.

It is worth noting that for many years Turkmenistan has provided all possible assistance to the Afghan people, in particular, by supplying electricity on favorable terms. In order to increase its exports to the fraternal country, new stations are being built, and power lines are being laid.

Having wide access to affordable, reliable and modern energy sources is crucial for the progressive development of all states and the well-being of their peoples. The efforts of the world community are aimed at achieving this goal, including in accordance with the UN Agenda for Development for the Period until 2030.

In this regard, it should be emphasized that Turkmenistan has rich energy resources, and the production of electricity is traditionally considered one of the most profitable in the world. Based on this, the volume of investments in this promising industry is constantly increasing. Today, the Turkmen energy industry is demonstrating a dynamic pace of development and is able to increase the export of electricity that is in demand abroad.

The effective solution of the strategic tasks set by the head of state in this area is facilitated by innovative engineering and technical developments introduced in the industry, cost-effective, resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies.

The implementation of a large-scale project - the construction of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transmission line - will be another important step on the way to integrating the country into the world energy system, expanding the geography of export routes for deliveries of Turkmen energy carriers.

It is planned to complete work on this section of the TAP power line laying in August 2021.