Jaguar Overseas starts $20-mn Afghanistan solar power project

Jaguar Overseas, an Indian engineering, procurement, and construction firm, has rolled out a $20-million solar power project in Afghanistan with support from the USAID and the Afghanistan government. The 10-megawatt project will provide solar power to more than a million customers of the Kandahar province, Jaguar Overseas Ltd (JOL) said in a statement. The engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm said it would be Afghanistan’s first tariff-based solar power plant. “Officially launched in September this year in Afghanistan, it is the largest solar power project in the country, poised to support 1.15 million people residing in the Kandahar province. The project is being developed by Dynasty Oil & Gas Private Ltd (DOGPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of JOL,” the company said. As part of the arrangement, JOL has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement with DABS, an independent and autonomous company established under The Corporations and Limited Liabilities Law of Afghanistan, entrusted with operating and managing electric power generation, import, transmission, and distribution throughout Afghanistan on a commercial basis. DABS will purchase power produced by JOL at a pre-defined rate for the next 15 years extendable up to 25 years, it added. Deepak Mathur, CEO, JOL, said, “This can serve as a model that can be replicated in other parts of Afghanistan in years to come. The successful completion of this project will not only help in the growth of Kandahar but also provide an impetus for improving business climate through the availability of low-cost power in the region.” .