KABUL, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The construction work of a 10-megawatt solar power generation project in Afghanistan's eastern Laghman province has begun, the office of the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
With a cost of 6 million U.S. dollars by the private sector, the project is expected to be completed within six months, the statement added.
Upon completion of the project, electricity will be provided to 10,000 families in the province, it said.
During the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, said that recently, seven imperative electricity production contracts totaling a capacity of over 228 megawatts were signed across the country.
Afghanistan has long struggled with a power shortage, relying heavily on electricity imports from neighboring countries, such as Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. ■
