Citing an official with Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS – Afghanistan’s national power utility), Sputnik Tajikistan reported yesterday that Afghanistan now owe 1.1 million U.S. dollars to Tajikistan in power debt.
Tajikistan supplies electricity to Afghanistan via two power transmission lines – 110 kV power transmission line and 220 kV power transmission line. The price of one kWh of electricity supplied via the 101 kV power line is 3.0 cents and the price of one kWh of electricity supplied via the 220 kV power line is 4.5 cents.
The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan (MoEWR) said in July that power supplies have been continuing to Afghanistan in accordance with the schedule agreed by the sides at the beginning of this year. This is reportedly explained by the fulfillment of the clauses of the contract concluded between the two countries.
Under this contract, Tajikistan will supply up to 1.5 billion kWh of electricity to Afghanistan this year.
In addition to Afghanistan, Tajikistan now also supplies electricity to neighboring Uzbekistan.
According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the Government of Tajikistan, Tajikistan has exported US$72.6 million worth of electricity over the first eight months of this year, which is 56.3 percent more than in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, TOLONews reported on October 4 that DABS officials have said Afghanistan now owes $62 million for electricity from neighboring countries.
DABS officials said they have asked UNAMA to provide $90 million to pay the debt, adding that if UNAMA does not provide it they might pressure those people who have not paid their electricity bills, even though many people cannot afford it.
Safiullah Ahmadzai, acting operational director of DABS, said the company has paid the electricity bill for the last two months to the electricity-exporting countries.
Meanwhile, a document obtained by TOLONews reportedly shows that DABS owes over $51 million to four neighboring countries: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran.
“UNAMA contacted us and told us what they can do for us. We requested they provide $90 million to Afghanistan. We asked UNAMA to pay the electricity bill of those customers who have not paid or cannot pay to the neighboring countries,” Ahmadzai said.
According to Ahmadzai, DABS has sent letters to the power-exporting countries asking them to not cut electricity and pledging to pay the debt.
Statistics reportedly show that Afghanistan pays around $22 million to $25 million a month to neighboring countries.
