Suki Kinari Hydropower Project ready to be added to national grid: official

MANSEHRA: The Suki Kinari Hydropower Project on Wednesday completed its testing phase successfully and is ready to connect with the national grid.

“We have completed testing of electricity production successfully and are now ready to dispatch electricity to the national grid,” Bilal Khan, the deputy director (technical) Suki Kinari Hydropower Project, told reporters. He said that the hydropower project was yet to start electricity production on a commercial basis and would be linked with the national grid. The deputy director said that under set protocol any hydropower project was linked with the provincial grid first, and then with the national grid.

“All set for the inauguration of this energy project by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as our testing phase is completed successfully,” Khan said.The deputy director (Technical) said under the agreement signed between the federal government and the dam’s authority no such clause was part of it to supply free electricity to residents locally.

“Following completion of this energy project, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa becomes the sole federating unit which meets over 60 per cent electricity needs of the country,” he added.Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hazara Range, Tahir Ayub Khan along with District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur visited the project and reviewed the security arrangements.

He directed law enforcement agencies to be more vigilant to provide foolproof security to Chinese nationals executing that energy project.Meanwhile, former federal Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA from Mansehra Sardar Mohammad Yousuf told a presser here that the federal government should ensure free electricity supply to residents of Balakot and Mansehra from recently completed Suki Kinari Hydropower Project.