KABUL (SW) – Cut in the amount of electricity supply from Uzbekistan has been blamed for the prolonged power outage in Kabul.
Waheedullah Tawhidi, spokesman for the Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat, the power utility, said a power generating unit in Uzbekistan is faced with a technical glitch. He said this powerhouse has the capacity of generating 1000 megawatts of electricity, and Afghanistan received up to 450 megawatts of it.
According to him, there have been technical problems in the power generation sector in Uzbekistan for a month now, which has led to a lack of electricity generation. Afghanistan normally imports 450 megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan, but in recent months Tashkent has reduced its electricity exports to Kabul by 150 megawatts due to domestic demand.
According to reports, 77% of Afghanistan’s electricity comes from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran.
Afghanistan currently has a capacity to generate about 200 megawatts of electricity while as the demand stands at around 7000 megawatts. The domestic production only meets roughly 19 per cent of the domestic needs.
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