- The Taliban fails to pay for electricity supplied
- Fails to resume collection of electricity tariffs
- Kabul may be plunged into darkness this winter
Afghanistan’s new leadership, the Taliban, has failed to pay for electricity supply from the Central Asian electricity suppliers and failed to resume tariff collection from consumers. As a result, there are mounting fears that the state capital could be plunged into darkness as winter approaches.
Daud Noorzai, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state-owned power utility, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), has warned that the capital could face a humanitarian crisis if this continues. “The consequences would be countrywide, but especially in Kabul. There will be a blackout, and it would bring Afghanistan back to the Dark Ages when it comes to power and to telecommunications,” Noorzai said.
Afghanistan imports electricity from neighbouring Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, accounting for 50% of Afghanistan’s power consumption nationwide. Following this year’s drought, local electricity generation has dropped, and the country lacks a national grid network. The Chief Operating Officer DABS Safiullah Ahmadzai warned that electricity import contracts might be threatened by the failure to pay for supply.
“Our neighbouring states now have the right to cut our power under the contract,” Ahmadzai said. “We are convincing them not to do that and that they will get paid,” he added.