Bayat Power is hoping to start work on phase two of Bayat Power-1 in northern Jawzjan province in order to increase its electricity production output for Afghanistan.

Company officials said Sunday they have started discussions with relevant government departments in order to start the project.

Mohammad Shoaib Sahibzada, the technical head of Bayat Power, said once complete the second phase of the power plant project will add about 100 megawatts of electricity to the national grid. He said eventually, phase three will push output up to 200 megawatts.

In 2019, Bayat Power started 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, which will be integrated into phase two of the project.

Sahibzada meanwhile said phase one of the project, completed in November four years ago, has an output capacity of 40 megawatts and has provided hundreds of thousands of people with electricity in this time.

He also stated that the SGT-A45 turbine has the ability to produce 300 million kilowatts of electricity annually, which will be supplied to residential areas, mosques, universities, schools and hospitals in Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul and Balkh provinces.

“The leadership of Bayat Power is in contact with the relevant departments and officials. Talks have started so that we can begin and implement the second phase of this project,” said Sahibzada.

He added that they have a contract with Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the country’s power supply company, for the distribution and regulation of electricity produced by Bayat Power, and that the company has signed another contract with Afghan Gas Company to increase the supply of natural gas.

Sahibzada also said Bayat Power has close working partnerships with DABS, Afghan Gas and other institutions including the Ministries of Mines and Petroleum, Energy and Water, as well as Siemens Energy - all of which help to provide more electricity to the nation.

“The benefits of this project from the point of view of electricity supply is that it was already able to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of families, and the installed turbine has the [output] capacity of 40 megawatts of electricity,” Sahibzada added.

He also said phase two will bring the company closer to reaching its goal of producing 300 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.

The Islamic Emirate has meanwhile welcomed Bayat Power’s plans to expand the output capacity. The IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate gives its full support to the private sector.

“For the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, electrical energy is very important, it has vital value. Therefore, the Islamic Emirate pays a lot of attention to the private sector, if a company obtains an achievement, it means that it has been paid attention to. The Islamic Emirate has used all the possibilities to support the private sector and they are definitely moving forward,” said Mujahid.

Bayat Power was founded by the Bayat Group in 2013 with the aim of providing domestically produced electricity to the people of Afghanistan.

The power plant utilizes advanced and efficient technology, offering significantly more power and higher efficiency compared to other mobile gas turbines worldwide.

The project, in addition to generating significant tax revenues to the government, has created thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities for Afghans, contributing to the nation’s economic condition and fostering new technical skill sets amongst talented citizens.

Bayat Power, is in fact a trailblazer in Afghanistan’s independent power production sector, and just last week was awarded the prestigious Asian Power Award 2023 for its groundbreaking gas-fired mobile power plant.

On hand to accept the award on Wednesday night was Bayat Power’s CEO Ali Kasemi who said it was an honor and a privilege for the company to receive the accolade. He also said the award was an acknowledgement of the hard work and tenacity of Afghans in their quest for energy security and self-sufficiency in the power sector.

“Bayat Power is extremely proud that the Asian Power Awards have recognized our project as the Gas Power Project of the Year in Afghanistan. But we are even prouder of our continued efforts to 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,” said Kasemi.