Energy in Afghanistan
Encyclopedia
Energy in Afghanistan is primarily provided by hydropower
.
Two decades of warfare have left Afghanistan’s power grid badly damaged. As of June 2004, less than 10% of the population had access to electricity. In 2002, electricity generation was 0.745 billion kWh, of which 25.5% came from fossil fuel
, 74.5% from hydropower
, and none from other sources.
Imports of electricity totaled 0.150 kWh in 2002. In the same year, consumption of electricity totaled 0.843 billion kWh. Total electrical generating capacity in 2002 stood at 0.385 million kW. By June 2011, only 36% of the population has access to electricity.
, Naghlu, and Mahipar, near Kabul
; another, at Kajaki, in the upper Helmand River
Valley, was opened in the mid-1970s. In addition to the Naghlu, Mahi Par, and Kajaki plants, other hydroelectric facilities that were operational as of 2002 included plants at Sarobi, west of Kabul; Pol-e Khomri
; Darunta
, in Nangarhar Province
; Dahla
, in Qandahār Province
(restored to operation in 2001); and Mazāre Sharif. Also in operation was the Breshna-Kot Dam in Nangarhar province, which had a generating capacity of 11.5 MW. Construction of two more power stations, with a combined capacity of 600 kW, was planned in Charikar City
.
A third generating turbine
is being added to the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province
near Qandahār, with the assistance of the Chinese Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Company. This will add 16.5 MW to its generating capacity when completed.
The drought of 1998–2001 negatively affected Afghanistan’s hydroelectric power production, which resulted in blackouts in Kabul and other cities.
via pipeline de marde. Natural gas reserves were once estimated at 140 billion cubic metres. Production started in 1967 with 342 million cu m but had risen to 2.6 billion cubic metres by 1995. In 1991, a new gas field was discovered in Chekhcha, Jowzjan Province
. Natural gas was also produced at Sheberghān
and Sar-e Pol
. As of 2002, other operational gas fields were located at Djarquduk, Khowaja Gogerdak, and Yatimtaq, all in Jowzjan Province. In 2002, natural gas production was 1.77 billion cubic feet.
In August 1996, a multinational consortium agreed to construct a 1,430 km pipeline through Afghanistan to carry natural gas from Turkmenistan
to Pakistan
, at a cost of about $2 billion. However US air strikes led to cancellation of the project in 1998, and financing of such a project has remained an issue because of high political risk and security concerns. As of 2002 the leaders of the three countries had signed an agreement to build the pipeline, but as of 2006, construction had not begun.
A very small amount of crude oil is produced at the Angot field in the northern Sar-e Pol Province
. Another small oilfield at Zomrad Sai near Sheberghān was reportedly undergoing repairs in mid-2001. Petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline
, and jet fuel
are imported, mainly from Pakistan and Turkmenistan. A small storage and distribution facility exists in Jalālābād on the highway between Kabul and Peshāwar
, Pakistan.
Afghanistan is reported to have oil reserves totalling 95 million barrels.
had 24-hour electricity, the increase in power has already made a difference to many ordinary Afghans. By 2011, Afghanistan imported nearly 300 Megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan.
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
.
Two decades of warfare have left Afghanistan’s power grid badly damaged. As of June 2004, less than 10% of the population had access to electricity. In 2002, electricity generation was 0.745 billion kWh, of which 25.5% came from fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
, 74.5% from hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
, and none from other sources.
Imports of electricity totaled 0.150 kWh in 2002. In the same year, consumption of electricity totaled 0.843 billion kWh. Total electrical generating capacity in 2002 stood at 0.385 million kW. By June 2011, only 36% of the population has access to electricity.
Hydroelectricity
Three hydroelectric plants were opened between 1965 and 1970, at JalālābādJalalabad
Jalalabad , formerly called Adinapour, as documented by the 7th century Hsüan-tsang, is a city in eastern Afghanistan. Located at the junction of the Kabul River and Kunar River near the Laghman valley, Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province. It is linked by approximately of highway with...
, Naghlu, and Mahipar, near Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
; another, at Kajaki, in the upper Helmand River
Helmand River
The Helmand River is the longest river in Afghanistan and the primarily watershed for the endorheic Sistan Basin....
Valley, was opened in the mid-1970s. In addition to the Naghlu, Mahi Par, and Kajaki plants, other hydroelectric facilities that were operational as of 2002 included plants at Sarobi, west of Kabul; Pol-e Khomri
Pol-e Khomri
Puli Khumri is a city in northern Afghanistan. It is the capital of Baghlan Province and has a population of 60,000 .Hungary heads a Provincial reconstruction team in the city....
; Darunta
Darunta Dam
The Darunta Dam is a hydroelectric power dam located on the Kabul River, approximately 7 km west of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan....
, in Nangarhar Province
Nangarhar Province
Nangarhar is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan in the east of the country. Its capital is the city of Jalalabad. The population of the province is 1,334,000, which consists mainly of ethnic Pashtuns with a sizable community of Arabs and Pashais....
; Dahla
Dahla Dam
The Dahla Dam is the largest dam in Kandahar Province, and the second largest in Afghanistan.The dam is 34 kilometers north of Kandahar City.The dam was first built between 1950 to 1952 during the reign of Zahir Shah, the last King of Afghanistan....
, in Qandahār Province
Kandahar Province
Kandahar or Qandahar is one of the largest of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in southern Afghanistan, between Helmand, Oruzgan and Zabul provinces. Its capital is the city of Kandahar, which is located on the Arghandab River. The province has a population of nearly...
(restored to operation in 2001); and Mazāre Sharif. Also in operation was the Breshna-Kot Dam in Nangarhar province, which had a generating capacity of 11.5 MW. Construction of two more power stations, with a combined capacity of 600 kW, was planned in Charikar City
Charikar
Charikar is the main town of the Kohdaman Valley and the capital of Parwan Province in northern Afghanistan. The city lies on the road 69 km from Kabul to the northern provinces. Travelers would have to pass by the city when going to Mazari Sharif, Kunduz or Puli Khumri. Charikar is at the...
.
A third generating turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
is being added to the Kajaki Dam in Helmand Province
Helmand Province
Helmand is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Lashkar Gah. The Helmand River flows through the mainly desert region, providing water for irrigation....
near Qandahār, with the assistance of the Chinese Dongfeng Agricultural Machinery Company. This will add 16.5 MW to its generating capacity when completed.
The drought of 1998–2001 negatively affected Afghanistan’s hydroelectric power production, which resulted in blackouts in Kabul and other cities.
Natural gas and oil
Natural gas was Afghanistan’s only economically significant export in 1995, going mainly to UzbekistanUzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
via pipeline de marde. Natural gas reserves were once estimated at 140 billion cubic metres. Production started in 1967 with 342 million cu m but had risen to 2.6 billion cubic metres by 1995. In 1991, a new gas field was discovered in Chekhcha, Jowzjan Province
Jowzjan Province
Jowzjān or Jōzjān or Jawzjan is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Its capital is Sheberghan.- Demographics :...
. Natural gas was also produced at Sheberghān
Sheberghan
Sheberghān or Shaburghān , also spelled Shebirghan and Shibarghan, is the capital city of the Jowzjan Province in northern Afghanistan.-Location:...
and Sar-e Pol
Sar-e Pol
Sar-e Pol may refer to many places in Afghanistan:* Sar-e Pol Province in Afghanistan* Sar-e Pol District in Sar-e Pol Province* Sar-e Pol city in Sar-e Pol District*Sar-e Pol, Jowzjan*Sar-e Pol...
. As of 2002, other operational gas fields were located at Djarquduk, Khowaja Gogerdak, and Yatimtaq, all in Jowzjan Province. In 2002, natural gas production was 1.77 billion cubic feet.
In August 1996, a multinational consortium agreed to construct a 1,430 km pipeline through Afghanistan to carry natural gas from Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, at a cost of about $2 billion. However US air strikes led to cancellation of the project in 1998, and financing of such a project has remained an issue because of high political risk and security concerns. As of 2002 the leaders of the three countries had signed an agreement to build the pipeline, but as of 2006, construction had not begun.
A very small amount of crude oil is produced at the Angot field in the northern Sar-e Pol Province
Sar-e Pol Province
Sar-e Pol, also spelled Sari Pul , is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country. Sar-e-Pul Province is situated between the central highlands and the northern Turkmen plains. Sar-e-Pul borders Ghor and Baniyan provinces to the south, Faryab, Jawzjan and...
. Another small oilfield at Zomrad Sai near Sheberghān was reportedly undergoing repairs in mid-2001. Petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, and jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
are imported, mainly from Pakistan and Turkmenistan. A small storage and distribution facility exists in Jalālābād on the highway between Kabul and Peshāwar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Pakistan.
Afghanistan is reported to have oil reserves totalling 95 million barrels.
Uzbekistan
Discussions on electricity supplies began back in 2006, the Construction of a 442 kilometres (274.6 mi) high voltage transmission line from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan was completed by October 2008. It will run from Kabul through five Afghan provinces towards the country's border with Uzbekistan, and will then connect to the Uzbek electricity transmission system. It is expected the project will cost $198 million [USD], and will have a capacity of 220 kW; the transmission lines were jointly funded by India and the Asian Development Bank. As a result by early April 2009, all of Kabul all of the capital city of kabulKabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
had 24-hour electricity, the increase in power has already made a difference to many ordinary Afghans. By 2011, Afghanistan imported nearly 300 Megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan.