Uzbekistan’s electricity supply company has said there has been no changes to tariffs for electricity exports to Afghanistan. 

According to a statement issued by the National Electric Networks of Uzbekistan, no plans have been made to amend the tariffs although an agreement was reached to expand the project to build the Surkhon-Pul-e-Khumri 220-500 kV power transmission line by constructing additional substations and networks.

Last months, “a delegation headed by the acting Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, visited our country.

“During the bilateral meetings, issues of further expansion of mutually beneficial relations, consistent development of cooperation in trade, economic, energy, transport and other spheres were discussed in detail,” the statement read.

“As a result of the project optimization and the increase in the share of localized materials in construction, a preliminary agreement was reached to reduce the construction cost from 252 million to 222 million US dollars. 

“The contract is currently in the process of being agreed upon and will be signed after the negotiations are completed.

“At the same time, no official changes were made to the tariffs for electricity supplies to Afghanistan,” the statement read.

In December last year Uzbekistan extended its agreement to export electricity to Afghanistan for 2025.

After talks in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan’s energy company Uzenergosotish and Afghanistan’s DABS signed a power purchase agreement for electricity supplies this year.

The sides also conducted “comprehensive and detailed” technical discussions regarding the construction of the Surkhan to Pul-e-Khumri to Kabul power line. 

Once operational, the project is expected to supply Afghanistan with 24 million kWh of electricity daily, amounting to 6 billion kWh annually. 

The transmission line will span 245.6 kilometers, with 45 kilometers on Uzbekistan’s side and 200.6 kilometers within Afghanistan.

Currently, Afghanistan produces only 20% of its electricity domestically, importing the remaining 80% from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran. 

Agreements with Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were renewed in late November and early December, respectively.

In September 2019, Uzbekistan’s National Electric Networks signed a 10-year contract with DABS for electricity exports. At the time, deputy energy minister Sherzod Khodjaev stated that initial supplies would amount to 4.2 billion kWh annually, with plans to increase the volume to 6 billion kWh over time.

Uzbekistan has been supplying electricity to Afghanistan since 2002. Over the years, the volume of supplies has grown significantly, from 62 million kWh in the initial years to 2.6 billion kWh by the end of 2019. 

In 2023, Uzbekistan exported 1.82 billion kWh of electricity to Afghanistan, valued at $91.18 million (approximately 5 cents per kWh).