KABUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan has launched construction of a 40-megawatt solar power project worth 28 million U.S. dollars in eastern Logar province, the office of the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs, reaffirmed the Islamic Emirate's firm commitment to achieving energy self-sufficiency. He identified the country's chronic power shortages as a major impediment to national development, the statement added.
The project, expected to be completed within 18 months, will provide electricity to approximately 40,000 households and industrial facilities in the Mohammad Agha district and adjoining areas.
In a broader effort to address the country's energy deficit, Afghan authorities also began construction on separate 90-megawatt solar power projects, valued at 62 million dollars, in eastern Nangarhar and Laghman provinces and northern Balkh province in May.
Afghanistan continues to face a persistent electricity shortage and remains heavily dependent on power imports from neighboring countries, including Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. ■
