The Taliban administration and Russia are working on a new economic plan under which Russian oil, particularly from Tatarstan, would be transported to Afghanistan, processed in domestic refineries, and then re-exported to Russia in the form of petrol and diesel.
Rostam Habibullah, head of the Russian Trade Center in Kabul, told Russian media that Afghanistan’s oil refinery capacity exceeds one million tons annually. According to him, two additional large oil refineries are planned to be built in cooperation with Russian companies.
He further stated that oil wells in Afghanistan that have remained closed since the era of the former Soviet Union will also be reactivated. He added that despite increasing oil production, it is still not sufficient to fully utilize the country’s refinery capacity.
According to Habibullah, both sides are working on a mechanism for the reciprocal exchange of oil and fuel products, but he did not provide further details regarding the possible timeline for implementation or the volume of the exchange.
This development comes as Russia is seeking to expand its fuel imports. Reports indicate that two fuel tankers carrying petrol are being shipped from India to Russia, another 50,000 tons of fuel will arrive from Kazakhstan, and Moscow has also expressed readiness to purchase fuel from Belarus.
Meanwhile, environmental and energy analysts warn that if the oil refining industry is not managed in accordance with international environmental standards, the risk of air, water, and soil pollution could increase.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
