The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan and Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the state energy company of Afghanistan, signed agreements on infrastructure development totalling $243m.
In particular, the following major projects have been approved:
- expansion of the Surkhon-Dashti-Alwan 500 kV power transmission line with a capacity of 1,000 MW;
- expansion of the Arghandi substation with a capacity of 800 megavolt-amperes (MVA);
- construction of Sheikh Mesri substation in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan;
- extension of the 220 kV Kabul-Nangarhar transmission line.
During the ceremony, DABS CEO Abdul Bari Omar described the four agreements as vital to ensure reliable power supply in Afghanistan.
An agreement was also signed between DABS and companies in Uzbekistan to supply electricity for a period of 10 years.
For the record, Uzbekistan has been supplying electricity to Afghanistan since 2002. In December last year, Uzbekistan extended the agreement on exporting electricity to Afghanistan for 2025. Afghanistan imports 80 per cent of its electricity from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran, while the rest is produced domestically.