Business
Afghanistan Intends to Produce 2k Megawatt Power by 2020
Afghan energy and water ministry officials say, within a 5 years framework, the country will produce 2k mg power with 500 megawatts will be produced through solar power plants.
“We aim to produce 5k megawatt electricity by 2032. Practical steps have been launched. We would implement that project by two phases. The first phase is to produce 500 megawatt electricity by solar systems.” Mujtaba Haidari, Ministry’s renewable energy head informed reporters in Kabul today.
Afghanistan has a full 300 sunny days. That capacity enables Afghanistan to produce at least 222k megawatt solar energy. But, due to lack of private sector interest in using that energy, Afghanistan is using the minimum amount of that renewable energy.
“If we invest in the sector, not only we would become self-sufficient in that area, but we would also find the exporting capacity to countries surrounding.” Mohmmad Gul Khulmi, vice president for renewable energy union said in the meeting.
The officials in energy sector argue the private sector to invest in the sector and the government would provide all required facilities.
Afghanistan currently imports a majority of its required electricity from neighboring countries which only serve 45 percent of resident’s need for power.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said Thursday it has signed cooperation agreements with ten institutions to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Nooruddin Azizi, Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, said: “In the implementation of projects, we must pay special attention to our activities and actions and try to make useful use of the projects according to the requirements and benefit the beneficiaries.”
These ten institutions are to present their projects, the total value of which is around over $1.1 million. The projects will be carried out in Kabul, Baghlan, Ghor, Herat, Logar, Nangarhar, Balkh, Badakhshan and Jawzjan provinces and provide direct jobs for about 1,000.
To date, the ministry has signed MoUs for 72 projects in total, collectively valued at about $53.6 million.
These agreements have been signed with domestic and foreign companies for the establishment of small and medium-sized businesses.
In accordance with the principles and laws of the Islamic Emirate and prioritizing the implementation of projects for immigrants and returnees and internally displaced people, the ministry said 635,865 people will benefit through jobs directly and over 4.3 million will benefit indirectly in 25 provinces once these projects are implemented.
The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) confirmed Tuesday that in the last month of solar year 1402, (March 2024) Afghanistan’s exports totaled $141.1 million and imports totaled $789.6 million.
This was down from $174 million for exports in the same period in 1401. However, imports increased by $99.2 million in 1402, up from $690.4 million.
Most exports in the last month of 1402 went to Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates, while in the last month of 1401 exports went to Pakistan, India and China.
The Ministry of Interior said the governor of Herat province Islam Jar met with Alim Khan Yasin Gildaye, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, to discuss various issues around trade.
According to the ministry, the two sides discussed the expansion of trade facilities, increasing the volume of trade exchanges between traders of the two countries, reducing customs tariffs, solving the challenges of traders and issuing visas to them.
The Afghanistan-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce has been opened in Herat in order to facilitate and increase trade between the two countries.
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