The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said the oil is being extracted from the wells of the Qashqari oil fields in the Amu Darya basin in the province of Sar-e-Pul.
The beginning of oil extraction from this area, according to the acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum, Shahabuddin Delavar, is a significant step for the development of the nation’s economy.
He also stressed that many residents of Sar-e-Pul province and other provinces will have access to employment opportunities.
While visiting Sar-e-Pul, the acting minister of mines and petroleum said that in the future, oil extraction from wells in this field will reach 100 tons per day.
“The young people of Sar-e-Pul are given priority for employment. Then, young Afghans from the provinces will be employed here. Many young people from the Sar-e-Pul province are now employed here,” Delavar said.
“We now have 9 operating wells in the Amu Darya area. Currently, the daily extraction capacity of these wells is about 350 tons,” said Homayoun Afghan, a spokesperson of the MoMP.
The Islamic Emirate has given China National Oil Company the contract for Qashqari’s oil extraction and refinement.
The start of the oil extraction in the Amu Darya basin, according to the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines, is a positive step toward the country’s attaining self-sufficiency.
“Fortunately, the Amu Darya basin has large oil reserves. We are hopeful that Afghanistan will become self-sufficient in oil in the future, and we can use it to produce energy and develop industries that depend on oil,” said Sakhi Ahmad Payman, a deputy of the Chamber of Industry and Mines.
Meanwhile, some economists asked the Islamic Emirate to refine the crude oil extracted from the wells of Qashqari inside the country.
“Now that oil is being extracted from the wells, a refinery should be built for refinement inside the country. This will satisfy the needs of the Afghan market and allow exports of some to the outside of the country,” said economist Abdul Nasir Reshtia.
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said the China National Oil Company will invest $162 million this year and $540 million in the next three years in the sector of crude oil extraction from the Qashqari oil fields.
