The Kabul Tribune (KT)--Electricity supplies from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan have been disrupted by a technical problem on the Turkmen side, affecting seven Afghan provinces, Afghanistan’s national power utility said.
Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, known as DABS, said in a
statement on its official social media account that the disruption has affected
Balkh, Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul, Faryab, Badghis, Herat and Samangan provinces.
The utility said it is coordinating with Turkmenenergo,
Turkmenistan’s electricity distribution company, to identify a solution and
restore power supplies as soon as possible.
DABS said it has also held talks with relevant Uzbek
officials to arrange alternative electricity supplies for several affected
areas, including Balkh, Sheberghan, Maimana, Sar-e-Pul and Samangan.
According to DABS, the Uzbek side has assured Afghanistan of
its cooperation in providing electricity through an alternative supply route.
The Afghan utility apologized to consumers affected by the
disruption and asked residents to remain patient and cooperate while efforts to
restore and reroute electricity supplies continue.
Afghanistan relies heavily on electricity imports from
neighboring countries. Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Iran are the
country's main external electricity suppliers.
The World Bank has previously estimated that DABS purchases
about 80% of Afghanistan’s electricity from neighboring countries, underscoring
the country’s dependence on regional power networks.
Turkmenistan is a major electricity supplier to northern and
western Afghanistan. Its electricity is delivered through several cross-border
transmission routes, including the Kerki-Sheberghan line, which was
commissioned in 2021.
Uzbekistan has also been expanding its role in Afghanistan’s
electricity sector. In 2025, the two countries signed agreements for four power
projects worth about $243 million, including the 500-kilovolt
Surkhan-Dasht-e-Alwan transmission line.
The projects are intended to increase Afghanistan’s capacity
to receive between 800 and 1,000 megawatts of electricity from Uzbekistan.
The latest disruption highlights Afghanistan’s dependence on
interconnected regional power networks and the importance of alternative supply
routes when cross-border electricity flows are interrupted.
