TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan will sign a 10-year deal with Afghanistan to supply electricity, AKIpress reported Monday (July 1), citing Uzbek Energy Minister Sherzod Khojayev.
Under the take-or-pay contract, electricity will come via a 260km-long Surkhan-to-Pul-i-Khumri power transmission line.
The line is expected to increase electricity exports to Afghanistan by 70%. Construction began in Uzbekistan in March 2018 and is set to be complete before the end of 2020.
The Asian Development Bank will provide a loan to Afghanistan for the construction of the line on its soil. "Take or pay" obligates Afghanistan to pay an agreed-upon amount to Uzbekistan, even if its consumption does not meet expectations.
The Taliban have victimised electricity consumers in Afghanistan by blowing up power lines and demanding payment for electricity that they had no hand in providing.
