The workshop was organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with the United States Energy Association’s (USEA).

The workshop brought together specialists from Kazakhstan’s KEGOC, Kyrgyzstan’s NESK, Tajikistan’s Barki Tojik, Uzbekistan’s Uzbekenergo, the regional Central Dispatch Coordinator from Tashkent, and DABM Afghanistan. Participants discussed how to improve reliability of Central Asia regional transmission grid and facilitate increased power exchanges with the Afghanistan electricity system as it completes its North-East Power System 220kv transmission system. Once fully operational, the NEPS transmission system will allow electricity from Central Asia to be exported to Afghanistan. This will ensure more reliable supply and coverage to north-eastern Afghanistan and expand market opportunities for Central Asian electricity generators.

This workshop focused on "Special Protection Systems" - automatic systems to detect abnormal, emergency or predetermined system conditions and take corrective actions to maintain system stability, acceptable voltage or power flows. In addition to the isolation of faulted components, corrective actions may include changes in demand, generation, or system configuration. If an electrical transmission line goes out of service, utilities must implement procedures to reduce demand by consumers, increase power generation and/or redirect power to other transmission lines.

Specialists from Bonneville Power Administration, one of the largest Transmission owners and operators in the United States joined participants in examining the methods, equipment, and procedures used by the United States and South Africa to protect the integrity of the transmission system and to lessen their overall impact on the transmission system in emergency situations. The American and Central Asian specialists shared information and also discussed load shedding, the isolation of fault conditions, and other steps that are not usually designed as an integral part of the Special Protection Systems.

This workshop is one of the many made possible with the support of the American people provided through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Since 1992, USAID has brought to Central Asia over US$1.5 billion through assistance programs that support development of the region’s economy, health care and education, and democratic institutions.