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Afghanistan: Dams

Volume 472: debated on Wednesday 20 February 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contingency plans he has should the Kajaki dam in Afghanistan cease to work. (185252)

The Kajaki Dam is currently not working at full capacity and contingency plans are already in place. These include the installation of diesel generator farms in Lashkar Gah, Gereshk, Sangin, Kajaki and Musa Qala for nine months while repairs to the turbines are taking place. Generator farms have already been installed in Lashkar Gah, Sangin and Musa Qala, and are currently being built in Kajaki and Gereshk. A new sub-station for Lashkar Gah will also be installed shortly.

USAID is leading on supporting the Government of Afghanistan in the energy sector in Helmand. They are making electricity generation a priority. The UK plays a key role in providing the security that enables these power supply projects to be implemented.