Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in cooperation with the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum launched Afghanistan’s first Gas-to-Power Symposium on Sunday, as part of ongoing American support to the country’s energy sector.

USAID, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Asian Development Bank organized the symposium to stimulate international private sector interest in the development of natural gas infrastructure in northern Afghanistan, particularly in gas processing and power generation.

Senior officials attending included Shafiqullah Shahrani from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum and Mirwais Alami, Chief Commercial Officer of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the national power utility.

“The United States Government is convening international and Afghan business leaders with Afghan Government officials to discuss business opportunities in an exciting new market,” said Roy Plucknett, USAID Deputy Mission Director. “This will help meet Afghanistan’s growing demand for power through the development of clean and efficient domestic energy resources.”

USAID’s Sheberghan Gas Development Project (SGDP) is a four-year, $125 million initiative. The project seeks to kick start private investment in Sheberghan’s energy sector by drilling or rehabilitating three gas wells; conducting a study to certify reservoir gas quantity, pressure, and quality; and by helping find seed money and know how to design, construct and operate a gas processing plant and 200 MW power generation plant near Mazar-i-Sharif.

• 2014 12 15 Press Release Gas-to-Power Symposium (Dari)
• 2014 12 15 Press Release Gas-to-Power Symposium (Pashto)