Contracts signed for 4 energy projects

KABUL Breshna Shirkat (DABS) and the private sector.

President Ashraf Ghani participated in the contract-signing ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Wednesday afternoon.

Attaullah Naseeb, head of the Afghanistan Investment Facilitation Unit, told the ceremony: “The four new power agreements are among the biggest inked by DABS.”

Involving a total investment of 160 million US dollars, the projects will add about 110MW of electricity to the national grid over the next 18 to 27 months.

DABS Chief Executive Dawood Noorzai made a presentation on the projects and said: “We will transform DABS from a government-owned agency to an enterprise focused on customer service and satisfaction.”

Ross Wilson, the US chargé d’affaires, called access to electricity essential for improving the lives of Afghan citizens.

The diplomat said the projects were an important part of American’s effort to improve lives of the Afghans and to promote economic growth.

“They reflect America’s long-term commitment here and our interest in a strong private sector that can further drive opportunities, prosperity and growth in this country,” added Wilson.

Ghani praised the public-private partnership for containing the spread of the coronavirus and expressed satisfaction with investment in the energy sector.

The president said collaboration between his government and international partners –especially USAID — made the vision of a unified national grid possible.

“Without reliable affordable energy we cannot become an exporting country,” added the president while calling energy the infrastructure of infrastructure.

PPP projects will be funded jointly by private investors, developers and USAID and provide 110 megawatts of power for a million Afghan citizens and their businesses.

sa/mud