Citing Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS – Afghan state-owned utility company), TOLONews says the imported electricity from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan has increased from 300 megawatts (MW) to 400MW.
DABS reportedly said in a statement released on January 11 that the power supply was reduced due to technical problems in Uzbekistan’s power distribution devices.
Most parts of Kabul had only 20 minutes of electricity in recent days due to technical problems and electricity outages.
Power outages will be reduced in the city, DABS said.
Data has indicated that in the past 18 years, the international community spent about US$4 billion on Afghanistan’s electricity infrastructure.
Critics noted that DABS pays US$100 million to Uzbekistan annually, but the company was unable to provide any information about when the power shortage would be fixed.
Before the outage, Afghanistan reportedly imported 450MW of electricity from Uzbekistan.
Over the past 18 years, Afghanistan has imported power from Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan but has not invested in its own resources, according to TOLONews.
Annually, Afghanistan has reportedly spent US$300 million for imported power from other countries.
Recall, Avesta news agency reported on January 8 that Afghanistan is conducting negotiations with Tajikistan on increasing the electricity supply. DABS has reportedly applied to the Tajik authorities asking to increase the power supply to Afghanistan from 80MW to 120MW.
Afghanistan suffers from a chronic power shortage, with less than 40 percent of the population even connected to the grid, according to World Bank data. Three-quarters of the country’s electricity is reportedly imported from the neighboring countries of Uzbekistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
