DABS, ADB sign contract for 300MW Doshi-Bamiyan transmission line

Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat and the Asian Development Bank signed a contract for the transmission of 300 megawatt electricity line from the northern Doshi to central Bamiyan province on Sunday.

The contract was signed in the presence of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in ARG Presidential Palace.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Water and Energy Ali Ahmad Osmani said the construction work of the transmission line would be completed in December 2019.

This comes after mass demonstrations in Kabul over the route for the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) power transmission line.

Based on an initial survey by a German company in 2013, it was concluded to pass the transmission line through central provinces of the country, including Samangan and Bamyan province, as they offered a cheaper route.

Later, the government announced to shift the path to Salang Pass. This sparked a major debate among the people of Afghanistan, and people from the central provinces slammed the government for its indifference towards their provinces.

A commission was assigned to study the project and present the findings to the president. President Ghani issued a new decree after receiving findings from the commission in May.

According to the decree, the 220kV (double circuit) power transmission line having a capacity of 300MW will pass through Doshi to central provinces of Afghanistan.

Work on the 220kV transmission line will kick off in June and must be concluded by solar year 1398.

The decree adds that substation will be installed in central Bamiyan province start of June and must be concluded during the solar year 1398.