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Bayat Power blazes ahead as it hits the one billion kWh of energy production milestone
From the outset, Bayat Power has tapped into Afghanistan’s abundant natural gas reserves to provide the people with a reliable supply of affordable and sustainable electricity.
Bayat Power, a pioneer in Afghanistan's independent power production sector, has reached a milestone in its endeavors to help develop the country, and today, August 23, the company successfully produced 1 billion kWh of electricity since commencing commercial operations in 2019.
Combining creative business vision, bold financing, innovative technology, and dedicated leadership, Bayat Power pioneered Afghanistan’s emerging, independent power production sector in 2019 with the focus on providing the nation with affordable, reliable, and environmentally sustainable electricity that is desperately needed to improve the lives of Afghanistan households, communities, and businesses.
According to the company’s chairman, Dr Ehsanullah Bayat, it is with “immense pride” that the company can announce this achievement of having produced 1 billion kWh of electricity.
“This remarkable achievement, marking the first natural gas-fired power plant in over forty years, is a testament to our beloved Afghanistan's abundant natural gas resources.
“This monumental success would not have been possible without the relentless dedication of our hardworking team, the steadfast support of the esteemed leadership at Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, the Ministry of Energy and Water, the General Directorate of Afghan Gas Corporation Company and the invaluable contributions of all related organizations and our valued supporters,” Dr Bayat said.
He went on to state that the company is “deeply grateful for its partnerships. Let us celebrate this significant milestone together and look forward to an even brighter future for Afghanistan.”
This latest milestone comes just a few months after Bayat Power was awarded the prestigious Asian Power Award for its groundbreaking gas-fired mobile power plant.
Considered a leading award for the power industry in Asia, the awards honor companies that have taken innovative and game-changing steps to address the effects of the climate crisis and meet the growing demand for energy.
From the outset, Bayat Power has tapped into Afghanistan’s abundant natural gas reserves to provide the people with a reliable supply of affordable and sustainable electricity.
In 2019, Bayat Power took a major step towards realizing their mission when they commenced the start of site work on Bayat Power-1's 40MW gas-fired turbine, which achieved commercial operation later that year in Sheberghan.
The plant uses Siemens Energy’s SGT-A45 mobile gas turbine for its economic efficiency, flexible deployment, and power density.
The foundation of the project meanwhile is the executed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with DABS in which DABS has agreed to purchase the power produced by Bayat Power.
Bayat Power’s CEO Ali Kasemi also remarked on the company’s phenomenal achievement of having produced 1 billion kWh of electricity in only a few years.
He said this achievement was testimony to the hard work and tenacity of Afghans in their quest for energy security.
Kasemi said it is an extremely proud moment for Bayat Power as it relentlessly continues to help improve the lives of Afghans across the country, enabling students to study at night, allowing health workers to provide critical services 24/7, supporting factory production, and lighting up cities, streets, mosques, and homes nationwide.
“We set out to relaunch a critical sector and prove that independent power producers can convert natural gas into electricity and bring light and warmth to Afghanistan and its people,” he said.
Bayat Power was established in 2013 and with its visionary and innovative leadership, the company is establishing the foundations of an emerging independent power producing sector in Afghanistan.
Currently providing electricity to hundreds of thousands of end-users and generating more than 300 million kWh annually, the project was structured as an innovative public-private partnership between Bayat Power, Siemens Energy, and Afghanistan government entities such as the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, the Ministry of Energy and Water, and the General Directorate of Afghan Gas Corporation Company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), and other international partners.
Dr Bayat meanwhile said: “We are committed to continue investing in Afghanistan’s energy sector to boost new industries, create jobs and train a new generation of Afghan engineers and technical specialists, who will help unlock the country’s vast energy potential.”
Kasemi in turn pointed out that “right now, Afghanistan is ripe for investment and has not seen this level of peace and security in many, many decades,” adding that “it is a great time to join us in investing there, especially in the energy sector as Afghanistan has vast amounts of resources.”
The Bayat Group is the largest private investor in Afghanistan and Bayat Power is currently the only gas-powered plant in Afghanistan and the Siemens Energy’s SGT-A45 mobile gas turbine used by the company is the only one in operation in the world.
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IEA will not trample on Islamic values to appease others, deputy PM says
He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, nor does it allow other countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the political deputy of the prime minister, has said that the Islamic Emirate wants to have good relations with all countries, but it will not compromise on the principles of Islam and trample on Islamic values to appease others.
In a meeting with officials and students of Kabul University at Sapidar Palace, Kabir said that the Islamic Emirate has worked for Afghanistan to shine in the political and economic sectors and currently it has 40 missions in different countries and engagement with the world is moving in a positive direction.
He also stressed that the Islamic Emirate does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, nor does it allow other countries to interfere in the internal affairs of Afghanistan.
In the meeting, Kabul University officials provided information about the new master's program called "Afghanistan Studies.”
Expressing his satisfaction with the start of the program, Kabir urged the students to invite Afghan cadres living abroad to return home.
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UN extends mandate of Afghanistan human rights envoy for another year
The resolution also called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to reverse its decision to ban entry of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan.
The United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday adopted by consensus a European Union-led resolution renewing the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan for a period of one year.
The resolution urges the Islamic Emirate to “reverse its policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment of human rights by people in Afghanistan, including by repealing the recent “Law on propagation of virtue and prevention of vice.”
It said that the law “institutionalizes a system of discrimination and oppression against women and girls that may amount to crimes against humanity.”
The resolution also called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to reverse its decision to ban entry of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan.
It requested the envoy to prepare a report on access to justice and protection for women and girls and the impact of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination thereon, and to present it to the Council at its fifty-ninth session.
“I will independently and impartially carry out the strengthened mandate, engage to make a difference for Afghans, and document and report on violations,” UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennet, said on X.
Human Rights Watch in a statement, said despite consistent appeals from human rights groups, including HRW, the resolution does not establish a mechanism to advance accountability for “grave human rights abuses” that have been committed in the country.
The Islamic Emirate has meanwhile said that it is committed to ensuring human rights including the rights of women and girls according to Sharia.
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Biden, Netanyahu speak, Israel vows lethal retaliation against Iran
Wednesday’s call was “a positive call, and we appreciate the support of the U.S.,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a call on Wednesday amid tensions with Iran, while Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant promised an Israeli strike against Iran will be "lethal, precise and surprising."
The 30-minute call was the first known chat for Biden and Netanyahu since August and coincides with a sharp escalation of Israel's conflict with Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, but with no sign of an imminent ceasefire to end the conflict with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.
The call was "direct and very productive," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, while acknowledging the two leaders have disagreements and are open about them.
The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel's response to a missile attack last week that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel's military escalation in Lebanon. The Iranian attack ultimately killed no one in Israel.
After describing Iran's Oct. 1 missile attack as a failure, Gallant said in a video issued by his office after the Biden-Netanyahu call had ended: "Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay a price. Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results."
Netanyahu has promised that arch-foe Iran will pay for its missile attack, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the oil-producing region which could draw in the United States.
The United States has said it supports Israel going after Iran-backed targets like Hezbollah and Hamas but has tried, unsuccessfully, to stem rising conflict, to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and to persuade Israel to curb rocket attacks on residential areas that have killed thousands of people.
Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been tense, strained over the Israeli leader’s handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah. Israel has said it will pursue its military operations until Israelis are safe.
In "War," a book out next week, journalist Bob Woodward reports that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, and shouted "Bibi, what the fuck?" at him in July, after Israeli strikes near Beirut and in Iran.
Asked about the book, one U.S. official familiar with the two leaders' past interactions said Biden has used sharp, direct, unfiltered and colorful language both with and about Netanyahu while in office.
Wednesday's call was "a positive call, and we appreciate the support of the U.S.," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
"And as we stated earlier, Israel will retaliate for the attack ... We will choose the locations. It will be painful for the Iranian regime," Danon said.
Gallant canceled a Wednesday visit to the Pentagon, the Pentagon said. Gallant said in a statement he had postponed the visit at Netanyahu's request until after the prime minister spoke with Biden.
Tensions have increased in recent weeks as U.S. officials were repeatedly blindsided by Israeli actions, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon that Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out.
Israel has also been slow to share details of its planning for retaliation against Iran's ballistic missile attack, the person said.
Biden said last Friday he would think about alternatives to striking Iranian oil fields if he were in Israel's shoes, adding he thought Israel had not concluded how to respond to Iran. Last week, he also said he would not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear sites.
Biden has been hit by sharp criticism from international partners as well as members of his own Democratic Party over his inability to use leverage, including the U.S. role as Israel’s chief arms supplier, to curb Netanyahu's attacks.
By extension, Kamala Harris, Biden's vice president and the Democrats' presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, has been challenged to defend the administration's policy on the campaign trail. Harris joined the call with Biden and Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Some Arab American voters in Michigan are backing independent candidate Jill Stein, a move that could cost Harris the battleground state and perhaps the White House in a race with Republican former President Donald Trump that opinion polls show to be very tight.
Harris is trailing Trump in Michigan with 47% of voters to his 50%, new Quinnipiac University polling showed on Wednesday. In a Sept. 18 poll, Harris held 50% of the vote and Trump 45%.
Israel and Netanyahu in particular have faced widespread condemnation over the nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed in the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, and the deaths of over 2,000 people in Lebanon.
Israel says it is defending itself after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and from attacks by other militants including Hezbollah who support Hamas.
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