Long-awaited Badakhshan power plant switched on in test phase

Five years after construction started on the Shorabak hydroelectric power plant in Badakhshan province, work has been completed and the plant will soon start feeding Fayzabad, the provincial capital, with much needed electricity.

According to officials, the power plant was switched on two days ago in its test phase.

Nizamuddin Khapalwak, spokesman for National Water Regulatory Authority, said the dam was built with Germany’s help and cost 45 million euros.

According to him, the dam has three turbines and a production capacity of 7.5 megawatts and will provide electricity to 25,000 families in Fayzabad.

The construction of the Shorabak Dam was one of the commitments of the government to the nation.

Meanwhile, two days ago, the National Water Regulatory Authority of Afghanistan said that construction work on the Shah wa Arus Dam in Shakardara district of Kabul province has been completed.

Shah wa Arus Dam is another key dam project and once in operation will have the capacity to generate 1.2 megawatts of electricity, irrigate 2,700 hectares of land, regulate 33 million cubic meters of water annually and will store nine million cubic meters of water.