Afghanistan's Mines Ministry plans to open bidding soon
for contracts to refine the oil from the rugged Sar-i-Pul province in the north.
"The infrastructure existed there a long time ago.
We overhauled them and this is the first time we are extracting oil," said
Jawad Omar, a spokesman for the ministry.
Various estimates of Afghanistan's hidden wealth have
been made in recent years — some as high as $3 trillion — but the challenge of
exploiting those resources in a country at war and with little infrastructure
has been too daunting for most investors.
Earlier this month, the Mines Ministry announced the find
of an oilfield in the north with an estimated 1.8 billion barrels of oil north
of Sar-i-Pul. Plans also remain on track for the tender of a 1.6 billion barrel
Afghan-Tajik oil block in early 2011.
The north is Afghanistan's key basin for oil and gas.
Afghanistan hopes its untapped mineral deposits could help reduce its reliance
on Western cash to bankroll its impoverished and aid-reliant economy, and for
its soldiers to maintain security when foreign troops begin to withdraw.
Most of Afghanistan's oil needs are met by vast convoys
trucked across the borders from Central Asia and Pakistan.
Omar said "a foreign institution" had helped
with the Sar-i-Pul extraction but would not give any more information.
Sayed Anwar Rahmati, the governor of Sar-i-Pul, told
Reuters the project had had Americans help but gave no further details.
Both the US Embassy and USAID said they were not aware of
who was involved in the project.
Afghanistan and foreign forces numbering almost 150,000
troops consume 2.5-3.0 million tons of oil annually, Omar said.