Afghanistan Facing Electricity Blackouts Since The Taliban Haven't Paid Central Asian Electricity Suppliers

Afghanistan produces about half the power it currently uses and imports the other half from neighboring countries. But that total still doesn't meet the country's demands. This photo shows Kabul at night in January. Jawad Jalali/EPA/Landov  

Memstrend: Kabul Faces Blackout as Taliban Don’t Pay Electrical energy Suppliers 

KABUL—Afghanistan’s capital could possibly be plunged into darkness since the nation’s new Taliban rulers haven’t paid Central Asian electrical energy suppliers or resumed gathering cash from customers. 

Until addressed, this state of affairs might trigger a humanitarian catastrophe, warned Daud Noorzai, who resigned as chief government of the nation’s state energy monopoly, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, almost two weeks after the Taliban’s takeover on Aug. 15. 

“The implications can be countrywide, however particularly in Kabul. There shall be blackout and it might deliver Afghanistan again to the Dark Ages relating to energy and to telecommunications,” stated Mr. Noorzai, who stays in contact with DABS’s remaining administration. 

“This might be a very harmful state of affairs.” 

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Update: Kabul Faces Blackout as Taliban Don’t Pay Electricity Suppliers (WSJ)  

WNU Editor: I have a friend who worked for a Canadian NGO responsible for building an electricity grid for Khandahar. They abandoned the project a few years ago because of Taliban threats. He warned me two weeks ago that this was going to happen. He also told me that even if the Taliban do pay these suppliers, the system will continue to degrade because many of the people who maintained it have fled the country and/or are in hiding. There is also no money to buy the parts and equipment necessary to keep the grid running.