Naghlu Dam

The Naghlu Dam (Pashto: نغلو برېښناکوټ‎) is a gravity dam on the Kabul River in Surobi District of Kabul Province in Afghanistan. It is located 40 km (25 mi) east of the nation's capital Kabul. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectricity production. The dam supports a power station with a design capacity of 100 MW of electricity.[5] It is connected to the national grid of Afghanistan, and is currently the largest power plant in the country. It provides electricity to about 100,000 households in the Kabul region.[5][4]

Naghlu Dam
نغلو برېښناکوټ
Aerial view of Naghlu Dam in 2003
Location of Naghlu Dam
نغلو برېښناکوټ in Afghanistan
CountryAfghanistan
LocationSurobi District, Kabul Province
Coordinates34°38′28″N 69°43′01″E
StatusOperational
Construction began1960
Opening date1968
Dam and spillways
Type of damGravity
ImpoundsKabul River
Height110 m (361 ft)[1][2]
Length280 m (919 ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity550,000,000 m3 (445,892 acre⋅ft)
Active capacity375,000,000 m3 (304,017 acre⋅ft)
Normal elevation1,190 m (3,904 ft)
Power Station
Commission date1967
Hydraulic head61 m (200 ft) (nominal)
Turbines4 × 25 MW Francis-type[3]
Installed capacity100 MW[4][5]

The Naghlu Dam is 110 m (361 ft) tall, 280 m (919 ft) long and its reservoir has a storage capacity of 550,000,000 m3 (445,892 acre⋅ft).[6][1] The dam and its reservoir are managed by the Afghan Ministry of Energy and Water. Its power station is operated by Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat.[7]

Construction of Naghlu Dam was financed and supervised by the Soviet Union between January 1960 and 1968. The first generator was commissioned earlier in 1967. After the 1992 collapse of the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the power station was used by supporters of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar as a tool to deprive Kabul of electricity.[8] The power station fell into disrepair during the late 1990s, which provided very little electricity. After the 2001 U.S.-led invasion only two generators were operational.

In August 2006, the Afghan Ministry of Energy and Water awarded the Russian company Technopromexport a $32.5 million contract to rehabilitate the two inoperable generators and replace the transformers.[9] The first of the two became operational in September 2010 and the transformers were replaced by early 2012. The rehabilitation was funded by the World Bank. The second unit became operational by April 2018.[10] In January 2016, the World Bank granted Afghanistan $83 million dollars in aid to completely rebuild the Naghlu Dam.[11][5] As of April 2019, all four generators of the Naghlu power station are operating.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Naghlu Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. Природа. Академия наук СССР. 1912. p. 93. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  3. "Hydroelectric Power Plants in Afghanistan". IndustCards. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  4. "Naghlu dam power output doubles to 100mw". Pajhwok Afghan News. April 21, 2019. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  5. "Afghanistan Resurrects its Largest Hydropower Plant Toward a Brighter Future". World Bank. May 14, 2018. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  6. "Modernization of HPP 'Naghlu'" (PDF) (in Russian). Technopromexport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  7. "Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat" (PDF). United States Energy Association (USEA). 2014. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  8. Adamec, Ludwig W. (2012). Historical dictionary of Afghanistan (4th ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 306. ISBN 978-0-8108-7815-0. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
  9. "Technopromexport put into operation the first hydroelectric hydroelectric Naghlu in Afghanistan" (in Russian). Energy News. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  10. "Naghlo Dam Turbines Up And Running". TOLOnews. April 12, 2018. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  11. "WB to provide $128 grant for Naghlu dam, water management". Pajhwok Afghan News. January 24, 2016. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
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