KABUL, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities have initiated a pipeline renovation project, which was built to transport natural gas from Shiberghan of north Afghanistan's Jawzjan Province to Mazar-i-Sharif city of neighboring Balkh Province, local television TOLOnews reported Monday.
The work for the essential project was formally initiated on Saturday in a ceremony attended among others by Shahabuddin Delawar, the acting minister for mines and petroleum, the media outlet said, adding the project at a cost of 609 million Afghanis financed by the Afghan caretaker government would be completed in three years.
At a length of 95 km, the pipeline will supply 170,000 cubic meters of gas in 24 hours to Kod-o-Barq, a plant that produces chemical fertilizers, and 12 megawatts of electricity to the plant and adjoining areas.
The pipeline was initially constructed 52 years ago, but the old facility was destroyed during more than four decades of wars, Delawar said. (1 afghani equals 0.012 U.S. dollar) ■
