Load-shedding to be made a reference of history by 2018: PM  

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that significant addition of power to the national grid with the completion of ongoing projects will eliminate load-shedding in Pakistan for all times to come.

He said this while chairing a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Energy here at the PM House on Tuesday.

Federal Secretary Water and Power Younus Dagha gave a detailed briefing on the time-line of the completion of the ongoing power projects in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister was briefed that the power projects will be completed before March 2018.

The meeting was assured that a total of 11,131 MW will be made available to the National Grid by March 2018.

The meeting was also briefed that all transmission line projects are on track to evacuate ongoing power projects, and billions of rupees have been invested in the existing distribution network to bear the load of additionally generated power through completion of ongoing power projects.

The Prime Minister said that in the history of the country such a huge investment had never been made into the energy sector.

The government was not only working to meet the energy short-fall but was also catering for the future energy needs of the Pakistan, he added.

The Prime Minister said that increased power generation would also contribute towards economic growth, employment generation, increased industrial activity and foreign investment.

He said that he would personally monitor the progress on ongoing power projects across the country and would also visit the sites of all power projects to ensure their timely completion.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Petroleum Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi and senior officials.