KABUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Energy and Water announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with State Corps, a private company, for the implementation of a significant electricity supply project in northern Jawzjan province.
The project covers the construction of 85.24 km of 220-kilovolt transmission lines, along with the establishment of two substations and two distribution networks in the Qosh Tepa and Darzab districts of the province, according to a statement from the ministry.
Estimated at over 1.8 billion afghanis (about 28.4 million U.S. dollars), the initiative is slated for completion within three years. Once operational, it is expected to deliver reliable electricity to thousands of households in the region.
In a related development, the ministry signed a landmark agreement with a domestic firm for the production, transmission, and distribution of 10,000 megawatts of electricity nationwide, marking a major step toward enhancing energy security a couple of months ago.
Afghanistan has long struggled with chronic power shortages, relying heavily on electricity imports from neighboring countries, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan to meet demand. ■