The gradual settling of peace in Afghanistan is opening up the possibility that the country may soon be able to finally cash in on its abundant energy resources in the north.
Afghanistan is estimated to have some 12 million tonnes of oil reserves and 5 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves but it is currently importing 600,000 tonnes of oil and gas each year.
Officials say that foreign companies are now expressing interest in the reserves around this northern city, the main base of Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostam, who himself once worked on the local natural gas fields.
"We cannot say exactly how many fields we have, but they can be a major source of wealth for Afghanistan," said Engineer Farid, general director of the energy department in the main northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
"In the Russian period [1979-1989] 60 percent of Afghanistan's budget was coming from the gas. The problem is that we do not have any refineries so we have to import gas and oil. If we can set up refineries, then we can definitely become exporters."
Mohammad Ibrahim Yacoubzai, general director of petroleum exploration in the northern zone, said only one of five known oil fields in the region is currently active. But the lack of a refinery meant that only small amounts of crude oil were being sold to local companies, who then boiled the product themselves to produce diesel.
"They do not know the pressure, they do not have a gauge for the temperature so it's not scientific. They have pans and boil the oil," he said. "If we use this in engines it will ruin the engines."
Yacoubzai said the priority was to attract foreign companies which would be prepared to drill wells, build refineries and create a comprehensive pipeline network.
"We know we have a lot of oil but we need lots of studies. We need to understand the depth of these wells. "But in the future we ... can be self-sufficient and export to the other countries. If the oil in the north becomes active and we use it properly it will help the economy of the whole of Afghanistan. If there is security and stability and if a company helps us in two years we can have a refinery. Until now we have not been able to give any guarantees [about security]."
Mohammad Akram Ghiaci, president of the mines department at the Ministry of Mines and Industry in Kabul, said that a Canadian and US firm had already expressed interest in drilling rights for oil in the north.
"The oil wells we have at the moment are very small but we hope that in the future we will discover bigger wells. Various companies have come and discussed with us and gone to their embassies."
Much interest has been expressed over the years in building a pipeline to ferry neighboring Turkmenistan's massive gas and oil reserves through north-western Afghanistan down to Pakistan and then out through the Indian Ocean, but all plans have been on hold because of the Afghan conflict.
The interested governments have recently agreed in principle to the resurrection of the scheme.
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