KABUL, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Construction is underway on 16 electricity substations across 10 provinces of Afghanistan in a major initiative to strengthen the country's power infrastructure, the office of the deputy prime minister for economic affairs announced on Monday.

The substations, being built from the domestic budget of the Afghan government valued at 8.15 billion afghanis (more than 130 million U.S. dollars) in the provinces of Kabul, Kandahar, Logar, Baghlan, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Herat, Ghazni, Helmand and Jowzjan, according to the office's statement.

The national electricity utilities will provide a combined transmission capacity of 1,800 megawatts upon completion. The projects are being executed entirely by Afghan engineers and personnel, it said.

Once operational, the new facilities are expected to deliver reliable electricity to around 1 million households and 1,100 industrial factories across the targeted provinces, marking a major step toward improving energy access and supporting industrial growth in the country.

Afghanistan has grappled with chronic power shortages for years, depending extensively on imported electricity from neighboring nations. ■