The majority of electricity in Afghanistan is imported.
Energy in Afghanistan is provided byhydropower followed byfossil fuel andsolar power.[1] Currently, less than 50% ofAfghanistan'spopulation has access to electricity.[2] This covers the majorcities in the country. Many rural areas do not have access to adequate electricity but this should change after the majorCASA-1000 project is completed.[3]
Afghanistan currently generates around 600megawatts (MW) of electricity from its severalhydroelectric plants as well as using fossil fuel andsolar panels.[1] Over 720 MW more is imported from neighboring Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.[4]
Due to the large influx ofAfghan expats fromIran,Pakistan,Turkey and other countries,[5][6] Afghanistan may require as much as 10,000 MW of electricity in the near future.[7][8][9] The Afghan National Development Strategy has identifiedalternative energy, such aswind andsolar energy, as a high value power source to develop.[10] As a result, a number of solar andwind farms have been established,[11][12] with more currently under development.[13]
Residents of Kabul, Kapisa and Nangarhar provinces receive electricity from the Naghlu plant.Kunduz residents receive it from the localNahr Gawkush power station. Residents ofBadakhshan Province are connected to the Shorabak power plant in theFayzabad District.
The power plant at theSalma Dam (Afghanistan-India Friendship Dam) provides up to 42 MW of electricity to residents ofHerat Province. A number of other water dams are being built in different parts of the country so that more residents have access to basic electricity.[19][20]
Residents of small cities or towns in the central provinces continue to build small dams for water storage and production of electricity.[21][22][23][24] Recently some Chinese experts and entrepreneurs found interest in assisting Afghans with these projects.[25]
Afghanistan currently imports over 670 MW of electricity from neighboring Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This costs Afghanistan between $250 and $280 million annually.[26][2]
Afghanistan purchases as much as 150 MW of electricity from Tajikistan.[31] After completion, theCASA-1000 mega project will provide an additional 300 MW of electricity to Afghanistan,[32] with the remaining 1,000 MW going to Pakistan.[3]
Afghanistan purchases as much as 450 MW of electricity from Uzbekistan.[35][36] This is expected to be increased up to 1,000 MW in the near future.[37] Discussions on electricity supplies began in 2006, and then the construction of a 442 km (275 mi) high voltage transmission line from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was completed in 2008. It runs from Kabul through five Afghan provinces towards the country's border with Uzbekistan, and connects to the Uzbek electricity transmission system. By 2009 residents ofKabul were enjoying 24-hour electricity.[38]
Afghanistan has its own oil fields in the northern provinces ofSar-e Pol,Jowzjan andFaryab.[45][46] These fields contain an estimated 1.9 billion barrels ofcrude oil and approximately 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas.[47][48] Some of the oil and gas is used to produce electricity locally.[49]
Bayat Power, which was established in 2016, has played a crucial role in enhancing Afghanistan's electricity production using domestic natural gas.[50][51][52][53] Its facility inSheberghan,Jowzjan Province—operational since November 2019—is the first modern natural gas power plant in the country in over four decades. The plant, powered by an advanced SGT-A45[54] gas turbine developed withSiemens Energy, produces reliable electricity for hundreds thousands of customers. By 2024, Bayat Power had generated over 1 billion kWh of electricity,[55] contributing to energy security and reducing reliance on imports.[56]
Although China has agreed to provide technical assistance for coal-powered plants, there are no solid commitments due to a lack of infrastructure and the global shift away from coal as a legacy power source. This observation was reported byAriana News.[57]
So far,[when?] Afghanistan's New Energy Administration has commissioned 72 solar projects worth $ 345 million.Afghanistan's firstwind farm in thePanjshir Province
Afghanistan has the potential to produce over 222,000 MW of electricity by usingsolar panels.[10][14][58] The use of solar power has become popular in the last decade, withsolar farms being established in a number of cities.[59][11][12][60][61][62][63] Solar-powered street lights are seen in all Afghan cities and towns. Many villagers in rural parts of the country are also buying solar panels and using them.
The country also has the potential to produce over 66,000 MW of electricity by installing and usingwind turbines. The firstwind farm was successfully completed inPanjshir Province in 2008.[64] More began to be built in Herat province.[65][66][13] TheUnited States Agency for International Development (USAID) had teamed up with theNational Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop a wind map of Herat province. They have identified approximately 158,000 MW of potential wind power.[67] Installing wind turbine farms in Herat could provide electricity to most of western Afghanistan. Smaller projects are wind pumps that already have been attached to water wells in several Herat villages, along with reservoirs for storing up to 15 cubic meters of water. The first 300 KW wind farm in Herat was inaugurated in September 2017.[12]
Besides wind and sun, potential alternative energy sources for Afghanistan includebiomass,biogas, andgeothermal energy.[14]Biogas plants are fueled byanimal dung, and produce a clean, odourless and smokeless fuel. The digestion process also creates a high-quality fertilizer which can benefit the family farm.
Family-sized biogas plants require 50 kilograms of manure per day to support the average family. Four to six cows are required to produce this amount of manure, or eight to nine camels, or 50 sheep/goats. Theoretically, Afghanistan has the potential to produce about 1,400 million cubic meters of biogas annually. A quarter of this amount could meet half of Afghanistan's energy needs, according to a January 2011 report from the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
An area of vast untapped potential lies in the heat energy locked inside the earth in the form of magma or dry, hot rocks.Geothermal energy forelectricity generation has been used worldwide for nearly 100 years. The technology currently exists to provide low-cost electricity from Afghanistan's geothermal resources, which are located in the main axis areas of theHindu Kush. These run along theHerat fault system, all the way fromHerat to theWakhan District ofBadakhshan Province in Afghanistan.
With efficient use of the natural resources already abundantly available in Afghanistan, alternative energy sources could be directed into industrial use, supply the energy needs of the nation and build economic self-sufficiency.
