The Ministry of Energy and Water on Sunday Dec 1, 2024 signed an agreement for feasibility, geophysics and geotechnical studies of the Baghdara Dam in Kapisa province with Metallurgical Corp of China (MCC), the contractor of Mes Aynak copper mine.
 

The agreement was signed between Abdul Latif Mansoor, Acting Minister of Energy and Water, and Song Wen Bing, director of MCC.
 

Speaking at the ceremony, Mansoor highlighted the importance of the Baghdara Dam project in providing the electricity needed for the Mes Aynak project in Logar province and emphasized that the implementation of the Baghdara Dam project will be a milestone in joint cooperation between Afghanistan and China.
 

In 2016, officials from Afghanistan’s previous government estimated the cost of constructing the dam at $560 million, to be financed by the World Bank. However, the project never progressed beyond the planning stages.

According to the previous Ministry of Mines, the dam, to be built on the Panjshir and Ghorband rivers, was designed to generate between 250 and 300 megawatts of electricity.

While the Baghdara Dam project represents a potential step forward in economic development, questions remain about the feasibility of its completion and the transparency of its funding and implementation.