KABUL: The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in an official ceremony, kicked off the 22.7 megawatts of solar power project worth 18 million U.S. dollars in Surobi district of the capital Kabul, his office said in a statement today.
The ceremony was attended by a number of Emirati high-ranking Emirati officials, the Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan, representatives of the private sector, and local people, the statement said.
Referring to the importance of renewable energy, Mullah Baradar said: “There is a happy place that a renewable energy project is being kicked off in Afghanistan, which will not only increase the country’s resistance in the field of environmental protection but also meet the needs of Afghanistan and will also cooperate in keeping the global climate clean.”
He stated that implementing such electricity production projects can gradually reduce the country’s reliance on imported electricity and will increase the amount of investment, production capacity and employment level, as well as can significantly help in the country’s economic growth.
The deputy PM also urged the United Nations and the relevant supporting organizations of renewable energy to cooperate with Afghanistan in the implementation of further projects in the sector.
“Despite contributing little to overall global emissions, Afghanistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the effects of climate change and is one of the least equipped to deal with the consequences,” the statement quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, CEO of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, Dr. Abdul Bari Omar, said the completion of the 22.75 MW solar power project would reduce the country’s electricity shortage.
It is pertinent to mention that the project will be implemented by the Turkish 77 and Zularistan companies within one year in the Sorubi district of the Kabul capital and will address the power shortages of the industrial parks and Kabul residents.