Uzbekistan Electricity contract extended for 2024: DABS

KABUL (TOLOnews): The Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat said that the electricity contract with Uzbekistan was extended until the end of 2024.
According to DABS, Mohammad Hanif Hamza, CEO of this company, extended the agreement and asked to increase the amount of electricity exported to Afghanistan, reduce the electricity tariff and facilitate Uzbekistan visas for the technical employees of the company.
In the meantime, the complaints of the residents over the electricity blackouts in Kabul have increased. Some of them asked the Islamic Emirate to invest in domestic electricity sources.
According to their accounts, the electricity blackouts have caused them to face several challenges.
“How long shall we use the external electricity and give our money to others? My request is that the money which is paid to import electricity be spent on … sources,” said Wahidullah, a resident of Kabul.
“The electricity blackouts have increased and it’s winter. People use electricity for heating the house, getting water, but the factories black out. Lack of electricity causes damages,” said Nadeem, a resident of Kabul. On the other hand, the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines (ACIM) also said that the factories have been faced with challenges due to the electricity blackouts.
“One of the serious challenges of Kabul industry is continued electricity blackouts, which are currently dead for 9 hours, and if the current situation continues, half of working forces will become unemployed. Our production has also been delayed now. Looking forward to the basic solution of the Industrial Parks and the lack of Uzbekistan electricity issues will also return the situation to normal,”said Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, the first deputy of the Chamber of Mines and Industries.
“DABS buys around 400 to 450 megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan. In the winter, northern, central and eastern provinces use this electricity. The problem of the Uzbekistan electricity is that … sometimes in winter the technical issues happen due to the cold,” said Amanullah Ghalib, the former director of DABS.
This comes as Mohammad Hanif Hamza, CEO of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, in a meeting with the Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan, Jorabek Mirzamahmudov, asked to increase the amount of electricity exported to Afghanistan, reduce the electricity tariff and facilitate Uzbekistan visas for the technical employees of the company.
The Minister of Energy of Uzbekistan said that due to the technical issues in the electricity stations of this country, The export of the electricity to Afghanistan has been faced with challenges.
He added that as the issue recovers, the export of electricity will return to normal as agreed.