Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the economic deputy of the prime minister, inaugurated the remaining work of three major electricity development projects in the provinces of Kandahar, Zabul, and Helmand during an official ceremony.

At the event marking the start of these projects, the economic deputy stated that once completed, the projects will provide electricity to the residents of Kandahar as well as to the province’s industrial sector.

According to Mullah Baradar, the Islamic Emirate is committed to implementing infrastructure projects across various sectors.

He said: “This project, which involves laying a 117-kilovolt power transmission line from Kajaki to Kandahar city and constructing four substations along the route, is one of the Islamic Emirate’s fundamental infrastructure initiatives to deliver services to the people and supply industrial energy.”

Hedayatullah Badri, acting minister of mines and petroleum, who was also present at the ceremony, stated: “In essence, the country’s industry and the needs of our citizens can only be fulfilled if we have domestic electricity. Currently, the Islamic Emirate is working in several areas, including water dams, coal, and gas resources from which energy is produced.”

Najibullah Haqqani, acting minister of communications and information technology, said: “Electricity plays the role of the soul in the field of economy, and we are very pleased to take a step in this direction with the Kajaki-to-Kandahar transmission project.”

These projects had been left incomplete since the time of the Republic. Now, Breshna Company says the mentioned projects will be completed within a year at a cost of 940 million afghani.

Abdul Bari Omar, head of Breshna Company, said: “During the Republic, it was planned to spend $150 million to complete these projects. However, due to the transparency and accountability that exist in the current system, and the full commitment of all officials, the cost has been reduced to 940 million Afghanis — more than half the previous estimate.”

Ahmad Jan Bilal, head of Emirati Companies, stated: “The administrative and procurement process of this project was completed in a short time, contracts were signed, and thanks to the special attention of the Economic Deputy, it was quickly approved by the National Procurement Commission.”

Officials from the caretaker government also reported progress on other projects, including power plant construction and transmission line extensions in various parts of the country. They emphasized that these projects are key steps toward achieving energy self-sufficiency, creating job opportunities, and strengthening national infrastructure.