Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said on Saturday that his country is capable of boosting its electricity exports to Afghanistan under the framework of the two sides’ energy agreements, according to Iranian public television.
Ardakanian said that Iran intends to expand its energy cooperation with Afghanistan in various areas– including long-term electricity–to meet the needs of the Afghan electricity industry, among other areas.
Mentioning his recent visit to Afghanistan, Ardakanian reported that the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for the expansion of cooperation in several areas.
According to the MOU, signed on August 18, the two sides are going to collaborate in several areas including the reconstruction and repair of Afghanistan’s worn-out transmission equipment, construction of the Zaranj electricity transmission line, and synchronization of the two countries’ networks.
“The contract for Iran’s electricity exports to Afghanistan was also extended for another year,” Ardakanian said.
Earlier in September, Ardakanian announced that Iran and Afghanistan had agreed to accelerate their cooperation in the electricity sector by setting up a joint taskforce.
Iran and Afghanistan are also considering initiating renewable energy projects in border areas.
“With good wind energy capacity in the two countries’ border regions, the two sides can use that capacity to generate nearly 16,000 megawatts of electricity,” Iran’s Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri said in a meeting with Afghan Minister of Energy and Water Mohammad Gul Kholmi during his visit to Kabul on August 17.
Source » tolonews