KABUL - An agreement between Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat (DABS) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was signed on Sunday to extend a 300-megawatt of power line from Doshi district of northern Baghlan province to central Bamyan province.
The development comes a month after tens of thousands of people protested in Kabul, demanding the government change the route of a multinational and multimillion dollar power project.
The protestors from the Hazara community wanted the government to route a 500-kv power line through central provinces instead of Salang Pass to Arghandi area of Kabul.
The new transmission line will provide secure power to 10 provinces, part of the wider Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) project backed by the Asian Development Bank to link the five countries.
To resolve the issue, President Ghani assigned a commission with investigating the project route. The commission decided that the 500kv line should pass through Salang Pass instead of central provinces because the Salang route is shorter and cost-effective.
The commission also decided that for the sake of national interests and parallel development, a 220kv (double circuit) line with the capacity transmit 300mg of energy be extended from Doshi district of Baghlan to Bamyan and other central provinces.
In line with that decision, an agreement was signed in Kabul on Sunday between DABS head Qudratullah Dilawari and ADB country director in Afghanistan, Thomas Panella.
President Ashraf Ghani and other government officials were also present on the occasion.
Water and Energy Minister Ali Ahmad Osmani said the project would be launched in July of current year and would be completed in December, 2019.
He said the government had designed double circuit for the 220kw transmission line from Doshi to Bamyan, which could transmit 300 megawatts of electricity to the central province.
He said for electricity distribution, one substation with the capacity of 32 megawatt and one transformer with capacity of 20kw would be installed in Bamyan City.
He said all central provinces would benefit from the 300 megawatt power line and it would provide adequate power to small and medium industries
ADB country director Thomas Panella said building the infrastructure would benefit areas which were deprived of electricity.
He said the project implementation would boost economic and commercial activities and it would bless Bamyan residents with a good life.
The project would be implemented with financial support from ADB, Dilawari said, without providing the total cost.
He said the designed line and sub-station’s capacity was determined at 300 megawatt and had the same power capacity as the Salang Pass power line.
Urban Development Minister Syed Sadat Mansur Nadiri said the project would take at least three years as practical work on the project would start in August and would take around three years and 20,000 families would benefit from electricity in the first stage.
According to the presidential decree, he said, relevant departments were obligated to provide electricity transmission plan for other central provinces within the next six months.(Pajhwok)