Official wants integrated plan to complete energy projects

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy and Power Secretary Nisar Ahmad Khan on Sunday said that the timely completion of ongoing energy projects in the province was the first priority, but prevailing economic issues in the country were major obstacles for which an integrated strategy was required.

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting to review the ongoing energy projects at the government level in the province, said an official handout. The secretary said he would take up with the federation the issues of the energy and power sector.

Nisar Ahmad said that KP power department’s sub-entity Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) was a profitable entity of the province and several of its projects had entered the final stage of completion. He said the projects upon completion were expected to generate Rs10 billion revenue for the province.

In order to solve the issues pertaining to federal institutions in energy projects, the provincial government had formulated a plan of action to take the matters seriously, he added.

Briefing the meeting, PEDO Chief Executive Engr. Naeem Khan said that under the supervision of PEDO, work was currently underway on 42 energy projects of electricity production including hydro, solar, transmission and distribution.

He said PEDO had successfully completed seven hydropower projects so far, with a total generation capacity of 161 megawatts that were generating Rs4 billion income annually.

The official said that work on nine projects including Balakot Power Project of 300 megawatts Mansehra, 88 megawatts Gabral Kalam, 157 megawatts Madyen HPP, 84 megawatts Matiltan Swat, 69 megawatts Lawi Chitral, 40.8 megawatts Koto Dir, 11.8 megawatts Krora Shangla, 13.5 megawatts Chapri Charkhel Kuram was being carried out.

He said that most of these projects were in the final stages of completion. Naeem Khan said that 4,400 mosques, 8,000 schools, 187 basic health units were being solarized and this would save millions of rupees annually in terms of electricity bills.

In the second phase, 291 mini-micro hydel stations would be constructed in areas without electricity, the official said. Several energy projects have been successfully completed in the tribal districts, which improved the electricity transmission system, he added.