Afghanistan needs 1500 megawatts power: Taliban

Afghanistan’s current need is 1500 megawatts of power, the Taliban-appointed Energy and Water department said while adding that up to 720 megawatts of power is being imported, TOLONews reported.

The spokesperson for the department, Hekmatullah Maiwandi, said, “In general, our domestic product is 565 megawatts of power. The whole country needs between 1,400 to 1,500 megawatts of power.” He further stated that over 500 megawatts of power are being supplied by domestic sources, particularly water dams.

The main Afghan power dams include Naghlo, Mahipar, Sarobi, Kajaki, Salma and Daronta. “From September to May it (dam) is making rotations, after this period, water in Logar and Kabul rivers dry up. Then this station is deactivated, and we are working on repairs,” said Mumtaz Ahmad, a worker at the Mahipar dam, according to TOLONews.

In 2009, due to frequent shortages, the United States invested USD 340 million in a thermal power station in Kabul. However, the station is not used on a regular basis because of the high fuel price. “This thermal power station started running at the end of 2009, its overall capacity is 105 megawatts, which is usually being used during the peak time of power shortages in the winter or if the power pylons are damaged,” said Ahmad Wais Sargand, general director of the thermal power station, reported TOLONews.

While the Taliban is struggling to get recognition, Afghanistan is facing extreme challenges in power supply, despite having mass natural sources and water.

One of the reasons behind this challenge is that most of its electricity is imported from neighbouring countries, especially Central Asia.