Afghanistan: Kabul Pursues Energy Import Deals with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Afghan and Turkmen officials are conducting negotiations over the potential construction of a natural gas pipeline from Mary province in southeastern Turkmenistan to Herat.

Turkmenistan is already an important gas supplier in Afghanistan, but the fuel arrives by tanker, Afghanistan.ru reported on January 21.

The newly appointed Mayor of Kabul, Mohammad Younus Nawhandish, is also calling for a gas pipeline to be built from Sheberghan, a town 120-kilometers west of Mazar-i-Sharif, to the capital.

Separately, Uzbek electricity exports to Afghanistan have increased six-fold since last December. Uzbekistan currently sends 2.3 million kWh daily to Mazar-i-Sharif and Kabul, news agencies quoted the state-owned Uzbekenergo company as saying on January 20.