Bringing electricity to Afghans in a more efficient manner is a joint goal of the U.S. and Afghan governments. Recently, Mr. Gulla Jan Hairan, chief operating officer of Afghanistan’s public/private energy corporation Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), and a USAID energy officer participated in the successful testing of a centralized energy monitoring and control system. The system will soon be implemented in Kabul to provide supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) for electricity. The session occurred in Istanbul, where Afghan engineers have been undergoing USAID-sponsored training for six months under the guidance of the Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program.
The SCADA system will allow DABS to control the way that energy is generated, transmitted, and controlled in the North East Power System, increasing the efficiency and safety of power plants and substations that deliver electricity to residences and businesses. “This SCADA system will be a tremendous benefit to DABS and our ability to serve our customers,” Mr. Hairan said. “There is potential to add features that will help us to operate new stations and synchronize our operations with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the future.”