Kabul (TDI): Afghanistan’s state-owned power company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), has extended its electricity import deal with Uzbekistan through the end of 2025.
The deal was inked in Uzbekistan by Abdul Bari Umar, the Taliban’s acting head of DABS, and representatives from the National Electricity Company of Uzbekistan.
This extension of the agreement is vital for Afghanistan, where unreliable electricity continues to affect millions of people.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Water under Taliban control, the country needs 1,500 megawatts of electricity.
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Of this, about 720 megawatts are imported, while the remainder is produced domestically.
Afghanistan remains heavily reliant on neighboring nations for power due to its limited domestic production capacity.
Residents of the capital Kabul and other regions frequently endure prolonged outages, fueling frustration over the lack of a consistent power supply.
In recent months, DABS reported disruptions in electricity imports from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, leaving many areas without power.
The outages were attributed to technical problems on the Uzbek side and storm-related issues in Turkmenistan.
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Both problems have since been resolved, and electricity transmission to Afghanistan has been restored.
The extended deal with Uzbekistan represents a major step in addressing Afghanistan’s energy needs, though long-term solutions to increase domestic electricity production remain essential.
