Uzbekistan will continue supplying electricity to Afghanistan in 2026, the Ministry of Energy reported.
Minister of Energy Jurabek Mirzamahmudov recently met with Abdul Bari Omar, CEO of Afghanistan’s Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), to discuss the progress of high-voltage power transmission lines and substations under construction in Afghanistan, as well as ways to accelerate these projects.
At the end of the meeting, a contract securing electricity supplies for 2026 was signed. The agreement was signed on the Uzbek side by Jahongir Obidjonov, Chairman of the Board of the state-owned company Uzenergosotish.
This comes after Afghanistan settled $627mn in long-term debts in February 2024 for electricity imported from Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Last December, Afghanistan extended its electricity supply agreement with Uzbekistan for another year, following a similar deal with Turkmenistan.
In September 2025, Uzbekistan signed a financing agreement with DABS to support projects through early 2027, including $250mn for new 220–500 kV power transmission lines and substations. Earlier, in mid-August, both countries signed four contracts worth $243mn covering electricity transmission and substation construction. Projects include:
- Expansion of the 500-kilovolt Surkhan–Dasht-e-Alwan transmission line with a 1,000 MW capacity.
- Expansion of the Arg'andah substation by 800 MVA.
- Construction of the Sheikh Mesri substation in Nangarhar province.
- Expansion of the 220-kilovolt Kabul-Nangarhar (Sheikh Mesri) transmission line.
Afghanistan currently imports around 80% of its electricity, with Uzbekistan as its largest supplier, followed by Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. Supply stability remains a challenge due to regional grid outages, infrastructure issues, and debt disputes.
