Energy in Afghanistan

Some may bemoan the lack of wind turbines and solar panels in our tiny corner of the world, but in other places getting any reliable source of electricity poses a serious problem.

Today in Afghanistan, officials celebrated the completion of a new 261 mile-long transmission line from Uzbekistan into the capital city of Kabul. The new line could serve as the first reliable power source in a generation for Kabul’s citizens. Unfortunately, its capacity is already inadequate to serve the city’s 4.4 million people.

Many issues still stand in the way of a fully functioning power grid—including the potential for warlords to hijack the line, and an ability to manage the system effectively. Contractors claim to have learned some applicable lessons from rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq. Still, the road to a stable power supply may be a long one for the Afghan people.

(Photo by Munir via Flickr/Creative Commons)

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