Uzbekistan to Supply Electricity Amid Energy Crisis in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Energy and Water announced that Uzbekistan has assured to resume supplying electricity to Afghanistan after weeks of complete blackout.
Authorities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan have acknowledged that they will resume supplying power to Afghanistan from January 25 onward according to the Ministry of Energy and Water.
Reportedly, the power supply stopped on January 14 due to extreme cold, causing problems in the gas supply to thermal power plants (TPPs), which run on this type of fuel and provide 90% of electricity generation in the country.
Meanwhile, Zabiullah Mujahid, Chief Spokesperson on Taliban said on Twitter that the electricity import contract for the 2023 year was signed by Mula Muhammad Hanif Hamza, CEO of DABS and Chairman of Turkman Energo in the presence of Mula Abdullatif Mansur, Minister of Energy and Water in capital Ashgabat.
Kabul and several other provinces were in complete blackout over the last two weeks, with only two hours of access to power in 24 hours.
Uzbekistan has announced that 250-megawatt electricity will be supplied to Afghanistan within the next 24 hours, while Kabul alone needs 700-megawatt power to illuminate the city. Kabul residents have had a major power outage over the past couple of days.
Amid the harsh winter hitting Afghanistan, the worst, energy crisis is a new addition to the many challenges the caretaker government is dealing with. Mostly, the required energy is imported from Iran and the Central Asian countries including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan.
Due to the extreme cold and weather conditions, technical issues do occur, causing disruption in the supply of power to Afghanistan. However, Taliban de facto authorities have called on the Uzbek government to adhere to the terms and conditions of the contract signed between the two governments, and avoid preventing such disruptions in the future.
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