DATES: June 2008 - October 2011

PARTNERS: Louis Berger Group/Black & Veatch (LBG/B&V)

 

The objective of this USAID-funded project is to increase capacity and reduce losses in transmission lines used to import power to Kabul. This will be achieved through procurement and installation of reactors and capacitors at identified substations in the Northeast Power System (NEPS). The project is a component of NEPS, along with other ongoing and proposed donor-funded projects to interconnect the northeastern areas of the country. Upon completion, voltage levels in NEPS will be maintained within established system operating limits, system losses will be minimized, and power transmitted for NEPS from all resources will be maximized. The ultimate goal of NEPS is to provide least-cost energy to Kabul and northeastern Afghanistan from northern Afghanistan and the Central Asian Republics to the north – Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. During the next few years, considerable growth of industrial, commercial, and residential loads is anticipated in northeastern Afghanistan. Already, Afghanistan imports 900 megawatts of power from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The capacitor banks at Chimtala and the north substation in Kabul are in operation. The reactor banks at the Naibabad switching station have been energized and connected to the grid. The installation of the capacitor banks at Pol-i-Khomri substation is in progress and connection to the grid is scheduled in mid September 2011.