KABUL, Afghanistan: The 22.75-megawatt Surobi Solar Power Project will start supplying power to the national grid by November 2025, officials of the state-run power utility company, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), announced on Wednesday.
“Nearly 70 percent complete. Full commissioning is expected within four months,” said Abdul Qayum, the project’s representative.
Faridullah Sharafmal, Head of Investment Coordination at DABS, said the plant will supply electricity to around 23,000 homes across Kabul, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces.
The $18 million project, which started in October 2024, is a joint venture between Turkey’s 77 Company and local renewable energy firm Zolerstan. Afghanistan’s power demand exceeds 1,600 megawatts, while supply remains between 600 and 650 megawatts.
Afghanistan has strong solar and wind potential. The country’s technical renewable energy potential is estimated at over 318,000 megawatts, but less than 1% of this capacity is currently being used. Only 28 to 35 percent of Afghans are connected to any grid. In some provinces, especially remote areas, access to electricty is almost zero.
Per capita electricity use is among the lowest in the world. Afghans consume around 150 kilowatt-hours a year. That’s far below the South Asian average of 667 kWh, and much lower than the global average of 3,781 kWh.
The national grid is divided into four separate regions: North East, South East, Herat Zone, and the Turkmenistan-linked network. These systems are not fully connected, making it difficult to manage power across the country.
In March this year, DABS General Director Abdul Bari Omari announced seven upcoming energy projects in solar, wind, and gas-based, worth 228 megawatts at an estimated cost of $292 million.
These include 43.2 MW of wind power in Herat, 50 MW of gas in Jowzjan, and solar projects in Balkh (40.25 MW), Logar (40 MW), Nangarhar (40.25 MW), Laghman (10 MW), and Herat (5 MW). DABS also signed agreements to complete a 110-kilovolt transmission line from Kajaki to Kandahar and a substation in Qalat, Zabul province.
While new energy projects are underway, they are small and scattered. Even if new generation plants are built, the transmission system remains weak and unreliable. High-voltage lines and substations are urgently needed. There are plans to connect Central and South Asia through high-voltage direct current (HVDC) lines, but these are long-term projects with no set timeline. The CASA-1000 project, which was to transmit 300 MW of clean energy from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Pakistan via Afghanistan, has been on hold since August 2021. Construction is nearly complete in other countries, but progress stopped inside Afghanistan due to security and funding issues. DABS says delay is due to shortage of funds.
The Surobi solar project is seen as a step forward. Officials believe it will support industrial zones in Kabul, reduce pressure on the grid, and cut foreign exchange losses from imported electricity. It is also expected to create local jobs and improve service reliability.
The project reflects the Taliban-led government's effort to attract foreign investment, despite facing sanctions and limited recognition. At the 2024 groundbreaking, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar said, “We are open to cooperation with all friendly countries and companies willing to invest in Afghanistan’s reconstruction.”
DABS officials have urged the United Nations, World Bank, and other global actors to re-engage. “Afghanistan contributes little to global emissions,” said a senior DABS official, adding, “but we suffer heavily from climate change. Renewable energy is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.”
If completed on time, the Surobi solar plant could become a rare success story in Afghanistan’s energy sector—and a model for future renewable investments in a country still facing major political and economic challenges.
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