Afghanistan upstream summary Report

Country Report 28 March 2025

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Report summary

The Taliban's return to power in 2021 cast significant uncertainty on the oil and gas outlook. Even before this, plans for upstream production growth faced multiple technical, commercial and above-ground challenges. Despite ambitious plans since the 2000s, Afghanistan's current oil and gas production is very minor. Security concerns and political instability are chronic issues. Gas-to-power has been the recent strategic priority. Almost all of Afghanistan's existing discoveries are in the north of the country – in the Amu Darya basin that is prolific in neighbouring Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan held five licensing rounds in 2009-14, but only three PSCs were signed. The most recent tender was in 2014 – for the large Totimaidan block near the Turkmenistan border, including the undeveloped Juma and Bashikurd sour gas fields. Despite announcement of a winning bid, the PSC was never signed.

Executive summary
Key facts
Location maps
Key companies
- Current status
- International investors
  - Current
  - Previous
- Local companies
  - Current
  - Previous
  - Previous potential entrants
- Other energy sector participants (to 2021)
Geology
- Overview
  - Oil
  - Gas
- Amu Darya basin
  - Kushka sub-basin
  - Stratigraphy
- Afghan-Tajik basin
  - Stratigraphy
- Other basins
  - Farah basin
  - Helmand basin
  - Baluchistan-Urgun foldbelt (Katawaz basin)
Exploration
- Licensing
- Overview
  - Current status
  - Recent licensing efforts (pre-2021)
- Potential future licensing rounds
  - Amu Darya basin
  - Afghan-Tajik basin
  - Others
- Previous licensing rounds
  - 1) 2009 Amu Darya basin oil and gas tender
  - 2) 2011 Amu Darya basin oil tender
  - 3) 2012 Afghan-Tajik basin Phase I tender
  - 4) 2014 Afghan-Tajik basin Phase II tender
  - 5) 2014 Amu Darya basin (Totimaidan) tender
- Drilling
  - Drilling activity
- Historical exploration
- Amu Darya basin
  - Initial exploration (pre-1970)
  - Further exploration (1970-80s)
- Afghan-Tajik basin
- 4 more item(s)...
Reserves and resources
- Oil
  - Amu Darya basin
  - Farah basin
- Gas
  - Amu Darya basin
- Prospective resources
  - Amu Darya and Afghan-Tajik basins
  - Other basins
Production
- Overview
- Liquids
  - Amu Darya Oil Project
- Gas
  - Overview
  - Khwaja Gogerdaq, Jarquduk and Yatimtaq
  - Juma-Bashikurd (contingent resource upside)
Infrastructure
- Introduction
  - Electricity imports
  - Current political context
- Oil infrastructure
- Pipelines
- Rail infrastructure
  - Afghanistan-Uzbekistan
  - Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Tajikistan (TAT)
- Refineries
  - Mini-refineries (topping plants)
  - Use of Fergana refinery in Uzbekistan
  - Previous proposals for large-scale refinery
- Gas infrastructure
- Pipelines
  - Historical (pre-1991) - exports to Soviet Union
  - Current - pipeline to Mazar-i-Sharif
  - Planned - Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline
- Gas-feed infrastructure
  - Northern Fertiliser and Power Plant (NFPP)
  - Independent power plants (IPPs)
Policy and regulation
- Key legislation
- Current political context
- Hydrocarbons Law
  - Current law (December 2017)
  - Initial law (January 2009)
- Other key legislation
- Local content
- Regulatory body
- Overview
  - Previous reforms
  - Capacity building
- Afghanistan Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (AOGRA)
  - Structure
  - Priorities
- 4 more item(s)...
Fiscal terms
- Overview
  - Current political context
  - Model contract
  - Contract awards to date
- Current fiscal terms
- Amu Darya Oil Project PSC (2011-18)
  - State equity participation
  - Bonuses, rentals and fees
  - Royalty and other production taxes
  - Indirect taxes
  - Environmental / CO2 taxes
  - Domestic market obligation (DMO)
  - Cost recovery
  - Profit sharing
  - 8 more item(s)...
- Afghan-Tajik basin PSCs (2013 onwards)
  - Adjustments from 2011 PSC
- Sample cash flow