TURKMENISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN JOINT WORKING GROUP MEETING ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000957

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/FO (ROBERT DEUTSCH),SCA/PPD, EUR/ACE, DRL

AID/W FOR EE/EA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EAID KDEM TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN JOINT WORKING GROUP MEETING ON
THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ON THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A
500KV TRANSMISSION LINE


1. (SBU) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: On July 16-18, 2008, the Joint Working Group of
the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water and the Turkmenistan
Minister of Energy and Industry met in Ashgabat to discuss technical
details of the construction of a 500 kV interconnection for the
supply of electric energy from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan. The
meeting resulted in a protocol agreement. However the Afghanistan
side still seeks commitment from the Turkmen side on funding and on
a construction schedule. END SUMMARY.


3. (U) Background: In March 2007, Afghan and Turkmen parties signed
a Cooperation Agreement for Afghanistan to purchase electric energy
from Turkmenistan. Since then, USAID has expressed its commitment
to the project through signing a Task Order under the Afghanistan
Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program for construction of a
500/220 kv substation in Andhoy, Afghanistan, and its design is
currently underway. USAID received funding for the 500 kv
transmission line from Aqeena to the Andhoy substation in
Afghanistan and plans to issue an award for construction soon, and
USAID has requested FY 2009 funds to complete the remaining 220 kv
portion of the transition line from Andhoy to Naibabad, Afghanistan.



4. (U) Key members of this July 2008 Joint Working Group included:
Timur Patarov, Chief Engineer of the Turkmenistan State Power
Corporation, Ministry of Energy and Industry; Kurban Dowiyev,
Director of the Project Institute of the Ministry of Energy and
Industry; Serdar Garayev, Head of the Energy Export Department of
the State Energy Corporation Ministry of Energy and Industry; Ghulam
Rabbani, President of the Ministry of Energy and Water Afghan Power
Production Company (DABM); Mohammad Hashim, Chief Engineer of the
DABM; USAID/Afghanistan consultants to the Afghanistan Ministry of
Energy and Water Krish Krishnan and Prem Babu; and Craig Anderson,
Deputy Director, Office of Infrastructure, Engineering and Energy,
USAID/Afghanistan.


4. (SBU) Initially, Afghan Joint Working Group members had the
following goals for this meeting, including: a) to obtain a
Turkmenistan government financial commitment to fund construction on
the Turkmen portion; b) to negotiate a timetable for beginning of
construction; c) to reach key technical/engineering decisions
related to the planned transmission line. The Joint Working Group
achieved the third goal, as all sides agreed on a majority of
operating parameters, design specifications and construction
specifications. Indeed the Turkmenistan side claimed that this set
of meetings was strictly to discuss technical/engineering matters.


5. (SBU) In terms of the first two goals, the Turkmenistan side was
not prepared to agree on a schedule and stated that they were not
authorized to comment or make commitments on behalf of the
Government of Turkmenistan related to funding. Afghanistan Joint
Working Group members emphasized the need for such information and
commitments soon in order to secure timely release of funding from
donors for construction of facilities inside Afghanistan. The
Turkmenistan members acknowledged this need and agreed to provide
information, including a construction schedule, by the next Joint
Working Group meeting.


6. (U) As part of the information exchange, the Afghanistan
delegation found it useful to visit a natural gas fired single-cycle
power plant that is similar to the Turkmenistan facility that would
be built for this project.


7. (SBU) Joint Working Group members signed a "Protocol of the
Meeting of the Joint Working Group" that detailed results of this
Joint Working Group meeting and expectations for the next meeting.
It also says the next meeting will take place within three months.
Joint Working Group members also agreed to communicate and exchange
relevant information via e-mail before the next JWG meeting.

ASHGABAT 00000957 002 OF 002




8. (SBU) COMMENT: The Afghan participants expressed their confidence
to USAID participants that the Turkmenistan side is serious about
fulfilling the first two goals and moving forward with the process.
However, an Afghan EMBASSY source was less sanguine. He said the
Afghan side was unhappy with the results. He also lambasted the
attitude of the Turkmen, who he said were unwilling to consider the
Afghan position. END COMMENT.

CURRAN