In Afghanistan, state energy company DABS said employees of the former government and government agencies owe 12 billion Afghanis (about $144 million) for the electricity they consumed.
DABS boss Abdul Bari Omar They warned that if they did not pay their houses and property would be confiscated. Last year, DABS announced it had collected $681 million in debts from former officials and commercial and industrial companies. The day before, Abdul Bari Omar said that the utility company pays for imported electricity on the 27th and 28th of each month. The company makes payments on time, Omar said.
Last year, a DABS spokesman said the company had paid off $627 million in debt remaining from the previous government. This money was paid to Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran. Omar said that in the last three months, power generation projects worth $400 million have been launched and more projects are on the agenda.
Those projects include wind, gas, coal and solar energy initiatives, he said. Helmand’s Kajaki Dam could produce 150 megawatts of electricity over the next year, he said.
While efforts are being made to increase electricity production, Afghans continue to struggle with little or no electricity. Currently, the country consumes 950 megawatts of electricity per year, of which just over 300 megawatts are produced domestically and the rest is imported from neighboring countries.
