DATES: May 2007 - December 2011

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

 

The objective of this USAID-funded project is to provide more reliable power supply to the people of Afghanistan. President Karzai issued a decree on September 19, 2007, dedicating land just outside of Kabul on the Jalalabad Road to construct the 105 megawatt (MW) Tarakhil Power Plant. Two months later, land survey, and site cleanup work began. In short order, contractors were hired to build a three-kilometer stone perimeter wall and to de-mine the project area. Geotechnical investigations began, followed by detailed design, site development, and construction work on the plant. On August 5, 2009, President Hamid Karzai, Minister of Energy and Water Ismail Khan, and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry inaugurated the initial 35 MW of electricity at the power plant. The completed 105 MW power plant consists of 18 medium-speed diesel engines, each of approximately 6.3 MW. The power plant can provide electricity to more than 660,000 residents in Kabul and communities supported by the North East Power System (NEPS). The power generated by the new plant will help improve the quality of life for Kabul residents and others living in communities served by the NEPS. The availability of reliable power is expected to increase productivity and enable businesses and schools to remain open longer. Reliable power is expected to spur investment in new industrial and commercial enterprises and expand new job opportunities and economic growth. USAID continues to support training of local staff to operate and maintain the plant.