The National Electric Grids of Uzbekistan (NEG) and the National Electricity Company of Afghanistan Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) launched talks on the resumption of the construction of the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri high-voltage transmission line (TL) to increase the supply of electricity from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan, the press service of NES reported.
A delegation of the DABS leadership and representatives of the caretaker government of Afghanistan paid a visit to Tashkent on December 25-30. The purpose of the visit was to hold negotiations on the implementation of the Construction of a 500 kV power transmission line Surkhan - Puli-Khumri in Afghanistan project.
The NEG noted that within the framework of the project, at the expense of the company's own funds, the construction of a power transmission line with a length of 45 km from the 500 kV "Surkhan" substation to the Uzbek-Afghan border was completed.
“Construction and installation of the 201-kilometer section of the project is planned in Afghanistan. The main goal is to increase the export of electricity to Afghanistan and create technical conditions for connecting the Afghan energy system to Uzbekistan and Central Asia, ”the press service added.
In October 2020, the Asian Development Bank provided $ 110 million to the former authorities of Afghanistan for the construction of the Surkhan-Puli-Khumri transmission line. The bulk of ADB funds was to be contributed to construction work to be carried out by Uzbek contractors. However, construction on the Afghan section never started due to the unstable situation in the country.
At the end of October, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov said that Tashkent had agreed with the interim government of Afghanistan to continue the construction of power transmission lines.
In 2019, NEG signed a contract with DABS to supply an Afghan company with up to 6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually for a period of 10 years on a “take-or-pay” basis. The volume of electricity supplies to Afghan consumers from Uzbekistan is about 35 megawatts per day.
In October, it was reported that the Afghan energy company owed more than $ 51 million for electricity to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran. However, according to the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov, the interim government of Afghanistan has pledged to fully pay off its electricity debt, and Uzbekistan did not stop supplying electricity to Kabul “for a single hour”.
