Taliban Unable to Afford Electricity Costs... "Capital Kabul Could Become a Dark World"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] There are concerns that the Islamic militant group Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan, may face an "era of darkness" in the capital Kabul and other areas ahead of winter due to an inability to pay electricity costs.

According to the U.S. Wall Street Journal (WSJ), "The Taliban have failed to pay the costs to the Central Asian countries supplying electricity and are also unable to collect fees from domestic consumers." Dawood Nurzai, former president of Afghanistan's state-owned power company DABS, warned that if power outages occur, Afghanistan will return to an era of darkness in terms of electricity and communications.

Afghanistan receives half of its electricity demand from neighboring Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In particular, the western region receives electricity from Iran. Most of the domestic electricity production comes from hydroelectric power plants, but this year, operations have reportedly been disrupted due to drought.

In Kabul, which relies entirely on electricity supplied from Central Asia, the conflict between the Taliban and Tajikistan is cited as a factor raising concerns about power shortages. The Taliban are opposing Tajikistan because it has provided refuge to anti-Taliban resistance leaders. If relations worsen and Tajikistan cuts off power supply, major Afghan cities including Kabul will face disaster.

Safiullah Ahmadzai, acting president of DABS, stated, "According to the contract, neighboring countries now have the right to stop power supply. We are telling them that we will pay the costs, so please do not cut off the electricity."

For the Taliban, it is also difficult to cover electricity bills domestically. Since the Taliban's return to power, economic hardship has intensified, and many Afghan citizens are unable to pay electricity fees. The amount collected in the month following the Taliban's complete takeover on August 15 was $8.9 million (approximately 10.5 billion KRW), a 74% decrease compared to before. Last year, Kabul residents paid about half of DABS's revenue of $387 million (approximately 460 billion KRW).

Acting president Ahmadzai said, "Currently, DABS needs an emergency fund injection of $90 million (approximately 10.7 billion KRW) to avoid bankruptcy and urges international donors to pay off Afghanistan's arrears or the citizens' electricity bills."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.