Bayat Power has extended its agreement with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water to continue producing 40 megawatts of gas-fired electricity in Jawzjan province for another ten years, reinforcing one of the country’s most significant domestic energy partnerships.

The agreement was signed between Bayat Power CEO Ali Kasemi and Afghanistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Mawlavi Mohammad Younus Akhundzada, further securing long-term electricity generation from domestic natural gas resources.

Kasemi welcomed the extension and said the company remains committed to supporting Afghanistan’s development through reliable local energy production.

“We welcome the signing of this agreement and reaffirm Bayat Power’s commitment to helping develop Afghanistan through sustainable and dependable electricity generation,” Kasemi said.

The renewed deal ensures that electricity generated from natural gas in northern Afghanistan will continue to be distributed through Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), supplying homes, businesses and key public services across the country.

The latest agreement follows a series of energy partnerships signed by Bayat Power in recent months aimed at strengthening Afghanistan’s domestic electricity production and reducing reliance on imported power.

In April, Bayat Power renewed its natural gas supply agreement with Afghan Gas for another ten years, securing continued fuel supplies for the company’s operations in Jawzjan province.

Earlier in January, Bayat Power and DABS also signed a separate 10-year extension agreement for electricity production and distribution. The deal included a technical memorandum of understanding focused on expanding operational cooperation and exploring opportunities to increase future production capacity.

Bayat Power is currently Afghanistan’s largest private electricity producer and operates Bayat Power-1, the country’s first modern gas-to-electricity plant.

Located in Jawzjan province, the facility uses Siemens Energy’s advanced SGT-A45 mobile gas turbine technology and remains a central part of Afghanistan’s efforts to strengthen domestic energy production and improve long-term energy security.

The power plant currently generates more than 300 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and supplies power to hundreds of thousands of end users.

The project was developed as a public-private partnership involving Bayat Power, Siemens Energy, Afghan government institutions including the Ministries of Mines and Petroleum and Energy and Water, Afghan Gas, and DABS.

Officials say the continued extension of these agreements reflects growing efforts to support Afghanistan’s economic development through local investment, infrastructure expansion and increased energy self-reliance.

Russia’s security chief has warned that a growing synthetic drug production network is emerging across parts of Asia, with potential trafficking routes extending toward Russia and Western countries.

Alexander Bortnikov, Director of the Federal Security Service, said a “drug production belt” is taking shape across Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran, as criminal groups increasingly shift toward synthetic narcotics manufacturing.

Speaking at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Bortnikov argued that cooperation with the Islamic Emirate on counter-narcotics efforts could be “reasonable,” citing changes in the regional drug trade.

He said Afghan traffickers are moving away from traditional narcotics toward synthetic drug production, contributing to what he described as an expanding transnational supply chain linking Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Iran.

According to him, this network is increasingly extending into Central Asian states, where more illicit laboratories are reportedly being established to produce new synthetic substances.

Bortnikov also claimed that organized crime groups linked to Ukraine have recently become involved in both production and transit operations, allegedly remotely managing drug laboratories in CIS countries. He added that proceeds from these activities are being used, in part, to fund recruitment for attacks in Russia and to acquire weapons.

The FSB chief said Russian security services, working with partner agencies, had dismantled nearly 170 drug laboratories across the CIS in 2025 and seized around nine tons of synthetic drugs.

Following high-level talks in Beijing between China and Pakistan, the two allies have pledged closer coordination on Afghanistan and warned against militant groups using Afghan territory to threaten regional security.

The commitment came in a joint statement issued after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif concluded a four-day official visit to China, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang.

A significant section of the statement focused on Afghanistan and regional security, underlining growing concern from both Beijing and Islamabad about instability spilling across borders.

The two countries welcomed recent trilateral discussions involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and China held in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in April 2026. Pakistan praised China for facilitating dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul, while both sides agreed to maintain close coordination on Afghan-related issues.

In the joint declaration, China and Pakistan stressed that Afghan territory should not be used by militant organisations to threaten neighbouring countries or regional interests.

The statement specifically named the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), saying no individual or group should be allowed to carry out attacks or destabilising activities from within the region.

Security concerns linked to Afghanistan have become increasingly important for both countries. Pakistan has repeatedly accused militants of launching cross-frontier attacks from Afghan territory, while China has voiced concern about extremist networks operating near its western Xinjiang region.

Beyond Afghanistan, the joint statement reaffirmed the deepening strategic partnership between China and Pakistan, including cooperation on infrastructure, counter-terrorism, trade, artificial intelligence and regional connectivity under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The two sides also agreed to strengthen military and counter-terrorism cooperation through what they described as a new China-Pakistan Security Partnership.

The visit coincided with celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.