Afghanistan Faces Severe Power Shortages Amid Drought and Soaring Demand

Afghanistan’s national power company, Breshna, has attributed ongoing electricity shortages to a combination of factors including prolonged drought, surging demand, aging distribution networks, and unregulated energy consumption. The announcement follows mounting public dissatisfaction over persistent power outages across the country.

Breshna officials stated that during the winter months, the allocation of electricity has been prioritized for institutions affiliated with the Taliban administration and for industrial centers. In contrast, households currently receive around 10 hours of power per day. This policy has sparked criticism from some citizens who argue that the lack of consistent electricity for the general public is unfair.

Abdul Bari Omar, head of Breshna, acknowledged the role of excessive household consumption in worsening the outages. He claimed that 95% of residents contribute to the crisis due to high usage. In an effort to address the 80-megawatt shortfall, he announced that diesel-powered generation has been initiated—though he noted it incurs substantial costs.

Omar asserted that the current challenges are temporary, and promised improvements in electricity supply with the implementation of contracts amounting to thousands of megawatts. He revealed that $5.3 billion in funding from both domestic and foreign sources has been secured for expanding electricity production. Additionally, 47 billion Afghanis have been allocated for improving transmission lines and distribution infrastructure.

According to him, Afghanistan currently produces and imports around 1,100 megawatts of electricity, while projects adding another 1,200 megawatts are under development. He also noted that due to the inefficiencies of the current grid, $1.1 billion has been allocated this year alone for network reconstruction.

Meanwhile, Breshna has urged the public to use low-energy appliances and exercise caution in electricity use during the winter season, in order to support grid stability. Safiullah Ahmadi, the company’s Chief Operating Officer, called on residents to cooperate in conserving energy so that everyone can benefit from electricity access.

Naser Ahmadi, Breshna’s planning chief, added that citizens who have complaints about increased electricity bills can obtain official forms to initiate the process of review and correction.