ASHGABAT (August 12 2010): Turkmenistan aims to attract foreign investors to build the first leg of a trans-Afghan power link to serve Pakistan with electricity generated from Central Asia's largest gas reserves, a government source told Reuters. The Turkmen stage of the project would involve the revamp of a gas-fired power station in the eastern city of Marv and the laying of new power lines to the border with Afghanistan, the source said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has instructed the Energy Ministry to attract foreign investment to realise a project for the export of Turkmen electricity to Pakistan via Afghanistan," the source said. The source did not specify the required amount of investment or the timetable for the project.

Turkmenistan is offering gas to be drawn from the world's fourth-largest reserves to China, Iran and the West as it seeks to diversify supplies from its traditional market, Russia. By converting some of this gas into electricity, the former Soviet republic is also eyeing a bigger role in regional energy markets.

Turkmenistan's power stations have capacity to generate 17 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) annually, 70 percent more than annual domestic consumption of around 10 billion KWh. The country plans to increase annual consumption to 20 billion KWh by 2020 and to boost exports to slightly more than 10 billion KWh.