Afghanistan’s state-owned electricity company, Breshna, now under Taliban control, said Saturday it has signed agreements with private firms to generate 9,407 megawatts of power.

The signing ceremony, held at Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel, was attended by the energy ministers of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the head of Tajikistan’s electricity company.

The office of Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s deputy prime minister, said work on projects agreed with Uzbekistan also began Saturday.

According to Breshna, the projects include boosting the capacity of the 500-kilovolt Surkhan–Pul-e-Khumri transmission line, expanding the Dasht-e-Alwan and Arghandi substations, and extending the 220-kilovolt line to the Sheikh Mesri substation in Nangarhar.

Afghanistan imports most of its electricity, primarily from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Iran. The reliance has led to shortages and lengthy power cuts, particularly in some seasons. Four years into Taliban rule and despite repeated promises, shortages persist, with some areas receiving electricity for only 12 hours a day.