Afghanistan’s power distributor company, DABS, has announced a planned 50% reduction in imported electricity from Uzbekistan for approximately eight hours, starting at 8 a.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 23.
The temporary reduction is essential for the basic repair and reconstruction of electricity facilities in Uzbekistan, the company said.
The power distribution adjustment will impact several provinces, including Kabul, Balkh, Samangan, Baghlan, Parwan, Kapisa, Panjshir, Nangarhar, Laghman, Ghazni, Logar, Paktia, and Khost.
According to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), Afghanistan relies on imported electricity for over 80% of its power needs, incurring an annual cost of approximately $220 million.
Uzbekistan stands as the largest electricity supplier to Afghanistan, with about half of the country’s imported power sourced from Uzbekistan this year. The remainder predominantly comes from Tajikistan.
Under a contractual agreement, Uzbekistan is set to provide Afghanistan with 2 billion kilowatt-hours of power this year at a cost of $100 million. The planned reduction is a crucial step in ensuring the ongoing reliability and safety of the electricity infrastructure, balancing the immediate needs of the Afghan provinces impacted.
