Afghanistan's First Power Project Under U.S. Infrastructure Redevelopment Goes Live

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The first power generated as part of the U.S. Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program (AIRP) was made available earlier this month, thanks to the efforts of a joint venture between Louis Berger Group Incorporated (Morristown, New Jersey) and Black and Veatch (Kansas City, Missouri).

The first power block, Power Block A, consisting of six diesel generators, was activated at the Tarakhil power plant in Kabul, feeding 35 megawatts (MW) of power to Afghanistan's electricity grid. Power blocks B and C, both of which contain six diesel generators, are under construction.

The power generation comes just after the joint venture, working with local agencies and other contractors, completed the transmission of 40 MW of power from Uzbekistan to Kabul. The transmission project began in January this year, and was completed just 35 days from the time that the Afghan government requested assistance from the U.S.

In total, the Tarakhil power plant will supply 105 MW of power to the Afghan grid when fully operational by the end of this year. The initial 35 MW of power addresses the requirements of about 200,000 people. When operating at full capacity, the facility will provide power to about 500,000 people during the winter period.

The AIRP program was launched in 2006 with the aim to support Afghanistan over a five-year period, by providing secure, available and reliable supplies of power and energy, and facilitating safe and reliable roads and other transport systems to enable goods and people to travel throughout the country.

As well as providing physical aid, the AIRP also aims to develop local institutions to ensure that developments and improvements are fully sustainable and can be maintained locally. The program provides technical assistance and training to enable the Afghan government to establish an Afghanistan-led reconstruction program.

The Tarakhil power plant forms part of the North East Power System (NEPS). In addition to the 40 MW of power imported from Uzbekistan under a power purchase agreement, further agreements are already confirmed or are being discussed. An agreement to import up to 300 MW from Tajikistan was signed in August 2008, and construction of the connection between the two countries is under way, with the first power expected to flow to Afghanistan in 2010. A further agreement is under discussion between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to import up to 300 MW, with power expected to start flowing in 2012.

In other power projects conducted by the AIRP, six diesel thermal power plants in southern Afghanistan and a gas-turbine power plant in northern Kabul were provided for the Afghan power utility Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) (Kabul). The ultimate objective of the project is to allow DABS to take over organizational duties and responsibilities. A national load control center (NLCC) is also under construction as part of the NEPS. The NLCC will include supervisory control and data acquisition equipment aimed at enabling DABS to monitor and control the NEPS with the anticipated expansion of industrial, commercial and domestic demands.

In addition to the diesel and gas turbine power projects, the AIRP is also investigating the Sherbeghan gas fields in the north of the country. These fields were discovered in the 1980s by Soviet geologists, but following the withdrawal of the Soviets in 1989, development of the fields virtually ceased. The AIRP is exploring the possibility of a 100-MW gas power plant in Sherbeghan to serve the more industrially developed northern areas of the country.

In 1953, with the support of the U.S. government, Afghanistan constructed the Kajakai Dam and in 1970 constructed a hydropower station containing two turbine generators, each with a capacity of 16.5 MW, named Kajakai units 1 and 3. A space was allowed between the two generators for the planned installation of Kajakai Unit 2. However by 2003, because of wars, drought, and a lack of replacement parts, the power station was reduced to only Unit 1, producing only 3 MW of power.

A Chinese company, China Machine Building International Corporation (CMIC) (Beijing) was contracted in 2003 to repair Unit 3 and supply and install a generator for Unit 2. However, in November last year, CMIC, under instructions from the Chinese government, withdrew from the project because of fears over the safety of project personnel. Currently the AIRP is committed to completing the work and providing a new transmission network to enable power to flow from the Kajakai power plant to the south of Afghanistan.

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