Uzbekistan will prepare a comprehensive 15-year plan for the development of Afghanistan’s power sector, while the two countries advance a joint energy roadmap and accelerate the 500-kilovolt Surkhan–Pul-e-Khumri transmission project, according to Afghanistan’s national power utility, Breshna.
According to IRAF, a delegation from Afghanistan’s national electricity company, Breshna, led by its chief Abdul Haq Hekmat, met senior officials from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy in Tashkent to discuss long-term cooperation on electricity infrastructure and regional energy integration.
The delegation held talks with First Deputy Energy Minister Umid Mamadaminov and technical officials, focusing on a joint roadmap for energy cooperation and the long-term development of Afghanistan’s electricity sector.
Afghanistan’s ambassador to Uzbekistan, Abdul Ghafar Bahr, also attended the meeting and stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations, saying strategic cooperation in the energy sector could play a significant role in supporting Afghanistan’s economic growth.
The discussions covered the expansion of electricity generation, transmission and distribution networks, engineering and technical cooperation, the use of smart metering systems, and long-term energy planning.
Uzbek officials said their cooperation would extend beyond electricity exports to include power generation, transmission, distribution and technical capacity-building. They described reliable electricity as a key prerequisite for economic development, mining expansion and industrialization in Afghanistan.
Welcoming Uzbekistan’s proposals, Abdul Haq Hekmat said the time had come to establish a practical roadmap that would move bilateral energy projects into the implementation phase. He also called for comprehensive feasibility studies on small and medium-sized hydropower projects, as well as solar, gas-fired and coal-based power generation across Afghanistan to support the preparation of a national energy plan.
The two sides also reviewed progress on the 500-kilovolt Surkhan–Pul-e-Khumri transmission line and agreed to resolve outstanding technical issues through closer coordination in order to keep the project on schedule.
Uzbekistan’s First Deputy Energy Minister said Tashkent would develop a comprehensive 15-year energy development program for Afghanistan. Following the completion of technical and feasibility studies, the project’s technical specifications and cost estimates for priority energy projects will be shared with Breshna. The two sides also agreed to establish joint technical working groups and expand cooperation on technology transfer, knowledge sharing and the modernization of Afghanistan’s power sector.
