Afghanistan’s energy potential and economic development

Energy shortcoming is one of the major challenges for economic development in Afghanistan and majority of Afghans cut off from energy supply. On the other hand, Afghanistan is considered as one of the richest countries in terms of energy potential in the region. This paper sheds light on Afghanistan’s major energy sources, energy needs and possible outcomes of energy development. The finding of this study shows that despite the big potential of energy production, more than half of total electricity demand in Afghanistan is met by imported electricity. Furthermore, in the overall domestic energy provision, solid biomass is accounted for almost 85% of the energy consumption in the country. The government  planned to develop domestic energy from hydropower and thermal resources like oil, coal and gas. Until self-sufficient energy production is attained, the government would continue importing energy from neighbouring countries.