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Two new gas wells to be drilled in northern Afghanistan this year

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The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum spokesman said on Tuesday that two new gas wells will be drilled in northern Jawzjan province this year and gas processing units will be installed alongside the wells in order to purify the gas on site.

The ministry’s spokesman Hamayoun Afghan said a gas pipeline of over 90 kms long, between Jawzjan and Balkh, will be completed and put into operation this year. “This year, we will try to complete the gas pipeline between Jawzjan and Balkh, and we will continue to dig new wells in the Yatem Taq area, and we will try to increase our production in order to increase our revenue,” he said.

He said currently 600 thousand cubic meters of gas is extracted and processed in Jawzjan province daily, but plans are in place to increase this to two million cubic meters per day.

“We are trying to buy new equipment to have a processing capacity of 2.5 million cubic meters of gas per day, and we are fully prepared to launch this project,” Afghan said.

The ministry did not however give any indication of whether agreements had been signed with private investors to extract the gas.

Khan Jan Alkozai, a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said the country will benefit enormously if more investment is made in this sector.

“I think that there is a high capacity in the area of energy production from gas, and in the area of attracting investment in this area, the facilities should be provided,” said Alkozai.

Currently, there are gas fields in nine areas of Jawzjan province, including in Yatem Taq, Jarqaduk, Jangal Kalan, Khowaja Bolan and other areas.

Energy production is a priority for the Islamic Emirate as the government relies on neighboring countries to supply it with over 50% of its current electricity needs.

In addition to coal-fired energy production plants, the IEA is also encouraging investment in gas to electricity plants. This process in the country is not new, as one trailblazer has been successfully supplying electricity to hundreds of thousands of people for the past few years.

The company is Bayat Power, Afghanistan’s largest, Afghan-owned and operated power production company and it has the region’s most technologically advanced gas fired electric power plant.

Launched in 2019, this commercial operation provides reliable and affordable electric power to hundreds of thousands of people in the country.

Located in Sheberghan, in gas-rich Jawzjan province, Bayat Power has steadfastly aimed to provide essential power for Afghanistan’s economic growth.

Powered by a Siemens SGT-A45 ‘Fast Power’ turbine, the world’s most advanced mobile gas to energy power solution, phase one of Bayat Power-1’s operations generates up to 44 megawatts of power for Afghan homes and businesses.

To date, Bayat Power has delivered over 700 million kilowatts of domestic power to the Afghan grid.

However, Bayat Power hopes to eventually roll out three phases in total that will generate more than 200 megawatts of electricity – enough to serve millions of Afghan residential and commercial clients.

 

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Afghanistan transports 3.2 million metric tons via railways this year: Ministry

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Mohammad Ashraf Haqshenas, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works, says since the beginning of this current solar year, about 3.2 million metric tons of commercial goods have been transported through the country’s railway lines.

Haqshenas stated that these exports have seen a significant increase compared to the same period last year, and the ministry is working to provide more facilities for the private sector in this area.

“Approximately 3.2 million metric tons of goods have been transported through four ports. The Ministry of Public Works is striving to provide greater convenience to national traders and citizens,” he said.

Meanwhile, officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Investment have stated that railway lines can play a vital role in the country’s economic development.

They added that in international trade, rail transport is cheaper than shipping, and this sector should be given serious attention in the country.

Economic experts also believe that the expansion of railways in the country can provide more convenience for traders in exports and imports.

Currently, Afghanistan has direct railway connections through four ports with Uzbekistan, Iran, and Turkmenistan, and indirect connections with China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.

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IEA signs $6.2 million marble mining contract for Kandahar

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Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says it has signed a contract worth $6.2 million with a Turkish company for the extraction of marble from a mine in Kandahar’s Dara-e-Noor area.

At a ceremony on Tuesday in Kabul, acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Hidayatullah Badri said the extraction of this mine is expected to create new job opportunities for the country’s citizens.

Badri stated that since the Islamic Emirate’s takeover, several contracts have been signed for marble extraction.

“The contracted company is investing $6.2 million in the exploration, extraction, and processing of this mine,” Badri added.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the mining company stated that this contract will benefit both countries.

He said the company hopes to supply the international market with the marble. He said this will not only create jobs but also contribute to the growth of Afghanistan’s export market.

Mr Emioglu, the deputy head of the Turkish contracting company, said: “Our company started working on extracting this mine eight months ago. We aim to introduce Afghan marble internationally after production and processing so that both countries can benefit.”

Economists welcomed the development and stated that with the signing of mining contracts, the country’s economic situation will improve, and investments in this sector will increase.

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Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan rise by 92% to $504 million

Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan from July to December 2024 totaled $9.9 million against $4.425 million for the same period in 2023

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Pakistan recorded a substantial increase of 92% in it’s export of goods and services to Afghanistan during the first six months of Islamabad’s current fiscal year as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the overall exports to Afghanistan were recorded at $504.308 million during July-December (2024-25) against exports of $262.583 million during July-December (2023-24), SBP stated. 

Overall Pakistan’s exports to other countries witnessed an increase of 7 percent in the first six months, from $15.146 billion to $16.229 billion, the SBP stated.

 On the other hand, Afghanistan’s exports to Pakistan in the same period totaled $9.9 million against $4.425 million in 2023.

On a year-on-year basis, imports from Afghanistan witnessed an increase of 18 percent from $1.238 million in December 2023, against the imports of $1.466 million in December 2024. 

On a month-on-month basis, the imports from Afghanistan into the country also witnessed an increase of 8.27 percent during December 2024, as compared to the imports of $1.354 million during November 2024.

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