Kabul electricity revenue goes up by 20 percent: DABS

KABUL (Pajhwok): Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) has collected more than 11 billion afghanis revenue from its Kabul consumers during the past 11 months --- 20 percent up compared to the previous year’s returns.

DABS spokesman Hikmatullah Maiwandi told Pajhwok Afghan News the power utility collected 9.6 billion afs revenues during the previous (1400) year, but it collected 11.2 billion afs during the past 11 months of 1401 year, which show a 20 increase.

He linked the increase in revenue to reforming the power supply networks, prevention of electricity waste and timely collection of bills.

DABS succeeded to overhaul the power supply networks and cables to reduce power waste, Maiwandi said.

In some places, the transmission lines and cables were decayed and their replacement with new ones resulted in prevention of electricity waste and it increased the revenues.

He said timely payment of bills by consumers also increased the revenue and no government department or official defaulted on their power bills after the Islamic Emirate’s return to power.

Since the regime change, DABS recovered 75 million afghanis from debtors and was in contact with the remaining defaulters to clear their arrears.

However, he did not name any department or government officials from whom the arrears were collected.

Maiwandi said DABS was trying to increase electricity generation inside the country and to reduce load shedding.

Maiwandi said Kabul needed a total of 700 MW of electricity, but currently 400 MW was available mostly imported from neighboring countries.

Due to this shortfall, most residential areas in Kabul were not supplied electricity during daytime in order to meet the need of government departments and factories.

Recently, Water and Power Minister AbdulLatifMansoor told reporters that Afghanistan had inked a yearlong contract with Uzbekistan on the supply of electricity.

Mansoor said Uzbekistan agreed to export 440 MW of power until the end of 2023.

Currently Afghanistan imports 340 MW of power from Uzbekistan, 44 MW from Tajikistan, 202 MW from Turkmenistan and 102 MW from Iran.

aw/ma