Sindh seeks connectivity to national grid

1,000MW renewable power projects

ISLAMABAD: Owing to the federal government’s dillydallying attitude in providing grid connectivity to Sindh’s 1,000 megawatts renewable power generation projects, the provincial government Tuesday asked the Centre to allow it to upgrade the grid and lay power transmission lines through its own resources to convert the power schemes into reality before next general elections.

“We are not getting grid connectivity to our renewable energy projects, especially wind power that has capacity of 800 to 1,000 megawatts. We had asked the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) for this connectivity, but it conveyed us that this project will take much time to complete. After the NTDC response, we ask the federal government to permit us for development of the connectivity through our own provincial resources,” Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said while talking to media persons here after a meeting with the Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif.

The chief minister said the Sindh government has also requested the prime minister to give it permission for upgrading the grid and laying transmission line from the province’s own resources to connect its renewable projects to the main grid. “I have guaranteed the prime minister that we will be adding 800 to 1,000 megawatts before the next general election takes place,” he said.

As per Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s advice to hold follow up meeting regarding this and other issues, a meeting was held here between the chief minister Sindh and the federal water and power minister.

“We have been given assurance that the province can go for investing in grid up gradation and connectivity. If the understanding reached in this meeting was implemented, the Sindh government will be able to add this electricity to the grid, as it has already issued various letters of intent (LOIs) to various companies.”

After the official approval from the Centre, the province will have to carry out upgradation of grid through Sindh Transmission and Despatch Company and getting tariff from National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) for it. The Sindh government is also going to finalise power purchase agreement by September this year.

Khawaja Asif was asked about recovery of billions of rupees outstanding electricity bills from Sindh.“We have found the solution for all unresolved issues and if there were some shortcomings we will reach it in a few days,” Khawaja Asif said. He said the main demand of the provincial government was regarding loadshedding in interior Sindh. “It will be improved in coming days and we will try to rectify it,” he said.

The minister further said that the problem of loadshedding was due to low recovery in interior Sindh. “The Ministry of Water and Power and the government of Sindh have come to an agreement to resolve the issue of outstanding amounts and better recovery in future,” he said.He said that as there are various power projects underway on federal and provincial levels, so by 2017-18, the situation will greatly improve.