«Uzbekistan will be supplied first»: Official response on selling electricity to Afghanistan

At a time when the issue of electricity supply in the domestic market remains the focus of public attention, Energy Minister Sherzod Xo'jaev issued an important statement on how energy exports to neighboring Afghanistan will be carried out.

According to the minister, speaking to the «O'zbekiston 24» television channel, electricity will be supplied to Afghanistan only after the domestic needs of Uzbekistan have been fully met, using the resulting surplus.

The «Surkhan – Puli-Khumri» project: No funds will be spent from Uzbekistan's budget

A new strategic project being implemented with the participation of specialists offers a number of economic and financial advantages:

• Source of financing: The total cost of the project is 222 million dollars, and it is being fully financed by Afghanistan. No funds will be allocated from Uzbekistan's state budget;

• Revenue for national companies: Of the allocated funds, 140 million dollars will be directed straight to the accounts of our national companies as payment for the services of Uzbek specialists and local products;

• Technical specifications: The total length of the new 500 kV network will be 245 km (45 km in Uzbekistan and 200 km in Afghanistan), enabling its transmission capacity to reach up to 6 billion kWh per year.

Export and transit potential continuing since 2002

Uzbekistan has been supplying electricity to Afghanistan since 2002, and the relevant agreements are renewed every year:

• Export volume: According to expert estimates, annual export volumes exceed 2 billion kWh, generating revenue of nearly 100 million dollars;

• Regional transit bridge: In the future, this new power transmission line will play a strategic role in opening a major transit corridor from Central Asian countries to Afghanistan through Uzbekistan's energy networks.

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