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Govt signs MoU with UAE firm to build solar power plant
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a solar power plant has been signed between the government of Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates-based PAL 4 Solar Energy LLC.
The office of the presidency said Tuesday in a statement that the project would be implemented across the country.
The MoU was signed by Mohammad Zafar, managing director of the solar power company, Ataullah Nasib, head of the Investment Facilitation Unit of the Office of the President, and Ahmad Daud Noorzai the CEO of Afghanistan’s power company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), in the presence of Kabir Isakhel, Chief Legal Advisor for President Ashraf Ghani.
Once complete, the project will provide the opportunity for Afghanistan to generate up to 3,000 MW of electricity across the country.
The agreement was signed at the Afghan Embassy in Abu Dhabi, in the UAE.
According to the agreement, the UAE company will invest in the installation of solar panel plants which will produce electricity.
Currently, Afghanistan has three solar power plants – in Bamiyan, Herat, and Kandahar provinces.
The Kandahar Solar Power plant worth $39 million generates 30 megawatts of electricity. The solar power plant installed in Bamiyan provides electricity to thousands of Bamiyan families.
The renewable energy resource potential of Afghanistan is estimated at over 300,000 MW, the Ministry of Energy and Water has stated in the past.
This includes natural gas, biomass, hydropower, solar, and wind power.
Major progress has however been made in the past decade by Afghanistan, along with private investors, to turn the land-locked nation into a self-sustainable energy-producing country as a significant amount of electricity is still imported from neighboring countries.
In 2017, a report published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stated that Afghanistan has the potential to produce 67,000 megawatts of electricity from wind energy, 220,000 megawatts electricity from solar energy, 4,000 megawatts of clean energy from biomass and 23,000 megawatts of electricity from water resources annually.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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