Objective. The objective of this USAID-funded project is to manage an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract to install a National Load Control Center (NLCC) for the North East Power System (NEPS) program. The project is a component of NEPS, which includes a series of ongoing proposed donor-funded projects to interconnect the northeastern areas of the country. The NLCC system will be equipped with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and related equipment needed to enhance the reliability, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of NEPS operations.

Background. NEPS aims to provide least-cost energy from northern Afghanistan and its northern neighbors to Kabul and other communities in northeastern Afghanistan. The main load center for NEPS is in Kabul. Over the next several years, it is envisioned that there will be considerable growth of industrial, commercial, and residential loads needs. Generation capacity around Kabul already falls short of the current demand projection, and further electricity demand additions are inevitable.

Afghanistan plans to import power from each of the northern neighbors, having already started with 60 megawatts (MW) from Uzbekistan in early 2009, and it is believed that this will rise to 200 MW by 2010. It is further anticipated that, by 2010-2011, Afghanistan will import power from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan on the order of 250 to 300 MW each. In addition, a new 105 MW Tarakhil power plant funded by USAID is being constructed in Kabul with 105 MW currently available to the grid. When completed, the total amount of imported power for NEPS will be gradually increased, aligned with expansion and development of the city network, from 150 MW to about 900 MW.

Status. With the goal of accelerating construction of this project, the NLCC project has been divided into three major tasks: 1) Optical Ground Wire (OPGW), 2) NLCC Main building, and 3) SCADA/RTU electronic equipment.

• The OPGW subcontract has been awarded and signed, and the subcontractor is proceeding.
• The NLCC Main Building subcontract was awarded and later terminated. A new RFP has been issued and bids have been received and are being reviewed. The subcontract for the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) equipment subcontract has been issued and work is proceeding. Field surveys are under way.
• The IRP team has also completed a V-SAT communication system for Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) Dispatch and NEPS Power Plants and substations, providing telephone and internet services to all 16 sites.
• A Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) has been conducted on the OPGW hardware in Austria. The data gathering process is complete, ensuring that necessary technical data will be available for testing and commissioning of equipment when sub-station construction is complete.

Anticipated Impact. Upon completion of this project, DABS will be able to monitor data and control the various elements within the substations and power stations for the NEPS transmission system and Tarakhil power plant. This will enable a safe and efficient operation of the power supply network. In addition, it will provide instantaneous data about transmission and generation parameters, such as voltage, ampere, frequency, MV, and MVAR. This will efficiently assist operation in scheduling system maintenance and planned outage, as well as managing load shedding, restoring the network in a timely manner and intertie transfers.