National Renewable Energy Policy

Category: Executive

Document Type: Policy

Role: Main

Afghanistan Renewable Energy Policy 2015

The Renewable Energy Policy 2015, developed by the Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, aims to promote the production and use of energy from the country's abundant renewable resources, including Hydro, Wind, Solar, Geothermal, and Biomass. The policy seeks to achieve significant socio-economic benefits, create employment opportunities, enhance energy access and security, foster overall growth, and facilitate access to International Climate Change Mitigation support. The policy outlines a phased implementation approach: * **TERM 1 (2015-2020):** Focuses on creating a supportive atmosphere and activities for the development and growth of the renewable energy sector, particularly encouraging Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and leveraging private sector investment. * **TERM 2 (2021-2032):** Aims for full commercialization of renewable energy deployment, building on the experience gained in TERM 1 and introducing elements of competition. The policy promotes renewable energy development through several key mechanisms: * **Private Investment:** Inviting investment under categories including Independent Power Projects (IPPs) for grid sale, Captive Power Producers with grid spillover, and Isolated Grid Power Projects. * **Mandatory Utility Purchase:** Making electricity purchase by utilities (Electricity Distributor Companies) from qualifying renewable energy projects mandatory. * **Net Metering and Billing:** Allowing producer-consumers to sell surplus electricity to the grid at one time and receive electricity from the grid at another, with appropriate billing. * **Multi-Location Generation/Wheeling:** Permitting investors, in accordance with the electricity services law, to generate electricity from renewable sources at one or multiple locations and receive an equivalent amount for their own use elsewhere on the grid, accounting for transmission losses and paying wheeling charges. The policy affects the energy sector, private investors, electricity utilities, and producer-consumers across Afghanistan. While the policy sets development targets within the 2015-2020 and 2021-2032 terms, specific compliance dates for individual projects or entities are not detailed in this excerpt.

How Climate Copilot helps

  • Get alerts when policies like this change or new ones appear in your sector.
  • Ask AI to summarise, extract obligations, and answer questions — with citations.
  • Organise notes and your own documents alongside the source material.

No signup needed.

Full text:

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Ministry Of Energy and Water
RENEWABLE ENERGYPOLICY
2015



FOREWORD
Afghanistan has enormous Renewable Energy Resources with excellent to fairly
good generation potential. These resources are spread over wide geographical areas
throughout the country, in contrast to the other conventional energy resources, which
are concentrated and location specific.
Afghanistan can produce around 318 GW of electricity utilizing available renewable
energy sources in the country through diverse renewable energy portfolio
representing Hydro (23,000 MW), Wind (67,000 MW), Solar (222,000 MW),
Geothermal (3,000 – 3,500 MW), Biomass (4000 MW). However, so far only parts of
hydroelectric power projects have been implemented.
Rapid deployment of renewable energy projects in Afghanistan will bring significant
socio-economic benefit, employment opportunity and access to energy, energy
security, overall growth and possibilities for International Climate Change Mitigation
support. The Government of Afghanistan would like to be a partner of international of
more than percent of energy supply. The national renewable energy market is
expected to grow strongly in the coming decade and beyond.
The Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) has developed the Renewable Energy
Policy Afghanistan, and which envisage main streaming of renewable energy
projects in the development and growth of REN sector particularly in the PPP mode.
The Policy will be implemented in two terms – TERM 1 (2015- 2020) will create and
support an atmosphere and activities for the development and growth of REN sector
particularly in the PPP mode, and will take remarkable tendency of private sector to
invest in renewable energy sector and TERM 2 (2021-2032) will deploy REN in full
commercialization mode, based on the experience gained under the short term, the
policy for the next phases will be consolidated and elements of competition will be
introduced.
Some salient features of Renewable Energy Policy are:
iii

I. It invites investment from the private sector under the following categories of
proposals:
a. Independent power projects (IPPs) for sale of power to the grid only.
b. Captive power producers cum grid spillover power projects sells to electricity
Distributer Company like small solar schemes top roofs.
c. Isolated grid power projects i.e. small, stand-alone projects.
II. Electricity purchase by Utility (ies) from qualifying renewable energy
projects that has been made mandatory under RPS.
III. This permits investor in accordance to electricity services law to generate
electricity based on renewable energy resources at one or multiple location (s)
and receive an equivalent amount for own use elsewhere on the grid at the
investor's own cost of generation by accounting transmission losses and paying
for wheeling charges.
IV. This policy allows net metering and billing so that the producer can sell

Tags: Biomass, Climate Change, Climate Finance, Climate Protection, Co Benefits, Deadline, Development, Electricity, Energy Demand, Energy Supply, Geothermal, Governance, Green Investments, Hydro, Incentive, Industry, Infrastructure, Investment, Jobs, Mitigation, National Energy And Climate Plans, Natural Resources, Off Grid, Planning, Policy, Power Plant, Procurement, Public Private, Pv, Regulation, Renewable Energy, Renewables, Solar, Solar Panels, Water, Wind

Sector: Energy;Transport

Original Source