Homayoun Afghan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, announced that all necessary equipment for oil extraction from the Amu Darya basin has arrived in Afghanistan from China.
The spokesperson stated that exploration and extraction work is currently underway on some oil wells in the area, with the work on some of them already completed.
Homayoun Afghan emphasized that Afghanistan has the capacity to process the extracted oil domestically and that oil extraction in the region will see a significant increase.
He said: “The Chinese company had committed to bringing this machinery to Afghanistan, and now all the machinery and drilling rigs have arrived at the site, where the drilling of wells is actively ongoing.”
The spokesperson also noted that the extracted oil will be allocated to factories for processing through open bidding.
Some economic analysts consider increasing oil extraction levels to be beneficial for Afghanistan’s self-sufficiency in petroleum production.
Abdul Ghafar Nizami, an economic analyst, told TOLOnews: “With oil extraction, provided it is processed domestically and then supplied to the market to meet domestic demand, and later exports are facilitated, it can create a foundation for Afghanistan’s economic progress in a very short time.”
Mir Shaker Yaqoubi, another analyst, said: “If domestic companies gain the capability to extract Afghanistan’s oil in a standard way, it will not only encourage investment but also reduce reliance on imports and positively impact oil costs within the country.”
According to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Afghanistan has five oil basins, with extraction currently taking place only in the Amu Darya basin, which has a production capacity of 1,350 tons per day.
