KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday inaugurated the $39 million maiden mega solar power plant in energy-starved southern Kandahar province.

The plant which will produce a total of 30 megawatt energy was jointly developed by Zularistan Energy of Afghanistan (ZEFA) and Turkey's 77 Construction company, following an agreement with the Afghan government in February 2018.

Addressing the gathering, Ghani dubbed the development as a milestone in terms of the advent and use of solar energy in Afghanistan.

He stressed this public-private partnership project would help boost the local economy -- particularly the production, processing and marketing of Kandahar’s hallmark pomegranates and grapes.

Turkish Ambassador to Afghanistan Oguzhan Ertugrul was also present on the occasion.

Last year, the Afghan government signed an agreement with local firm ZEFA and Turkey's 77 Construction to set up this solar project in Kandahar.

Despite having immense potential for solar and hydroelectricity, landlocked Afghanistan relies heavily on electricity imported mainly from the Central Asian states.