Afghanistan faces power crisis as electricity imports drop

Afghanistan imports about 80 percent of its electricity from abroad, but this summer, electricity imports from Tajikistan have decreased significantly, the head of the Breshna company told Tolo News.

Abdul Bari Omar said last summer Afghanistan imported 400 megawatts of electricity from Tajikistan, but this year the figure has dropped to between 310 and 320 megawatts.

"Last summer, we were importing 400 megawatts from Tajikistan, but currently we have 310 and sometimes 320 megawatts. One major reason is the shortage in imported electricity, which is a significant drop of 80 or 90 megawatts. Another reason is drought and climate change. Last year in the summer, we were getting about 102 megawatts from the Naghlu and Surobi dams," Omar told Tolo News.


Despite these challenges, the Breshna company has managed to supply electricity to consumers for 12 to 13 hours daily. Omar added that thermal generators have been activated to compensate for the shortfall, consuming between 200,000 to 250,000 liters of diesel during 12 hours of operation.

He explained the high cost of generating thermal electricity: "Including administrative and operational costs, one kilowatt of electricity costs us 35 afghanis, but we sell it to the public at 2.5, 6, and even to traders at 14 afghanis, and to industrialists at 6 afghanis. We bear a loss in this area," Omar told Tolo News.

The electricity shortage is affecting daily life in Kabul, with many residents urging the Islamic Emirate and the Breshna company to resolve the issue. Saqibullah, a Kabul resident, said: "Most of the time, there is no electricity. The power problems are very serious. Often, there is no electricity at all. If it comes, it's for a very short time."

Another resident, Barakatullah, added: "We ask Breshna to solve the electricity issues so that in the future there will be no power shortages."

Economic experts emphasize the need for large-scale investment in domestic energy production to resolve the crisis. Mir Shakir Yaqubi told Tolo News: "There is a need to prepare platforms for major investments within the country. Some incentive packages should be considered for investors, and opportunities should be provided for investing in electricity production sources."

Recently, the Ministry of Water and Energy signed an agreement with a local private company for electricity production projects totaling 10,000 megawatts, valued at 10 billion US dollars, Tolo News reported. The projects aim to develop electricity from solar, coal, water, wind, and gas sources.