1. Reduces Russian influence in the region.
2. Reduces Chinese influence in the region. Recall that China is actively seeking to gain access to gas and oil resources in Central Asia.
3. Increased cooperation between countries in the region should bring about more stability in the region and should increase US influence in the region. It will also make it harder for terrorist groups like Al-Queda to operate there.
As far as the cost goes, the actual building of the transmission lines could proceed fairly quickly & cheaply. One of the great unheralded success stories of the rebuilding of Iraq has been the incredible rebuilding of the power infrastucute that occurred in the first year of the occupation. It really isn't that hard anymore to build a power grid if you have engineers who know what they are doing. The main impediments to building new transmission lines in the US are the legal and environmental roadblocks. The Sierra Club and Greenpeace will probably find it difficult to operate in Central Asia.
As far as the cost, while the US will certainly put up some money, most of the money could be loaned through the World Bank or some other similar agency. To prevent the countries from defaulting on their loans, there would be the transmission grid and power plants that could be used as collateral.
>>As far as the cost, while the US will certainly put up some money, most of the money could be loaned through the World Bank or some other similar agency. To prevent the countries from defaulting on their loans, there would be the transmission grid and power plants that could be used as collateral.<<
that sounds much better than American tax payer funding.