KP govt gives 6 hydel power projects to FWO

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to hand over six hydel power projects having the capacity to produce 719 megawatt electricity to Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).

This was decided at a meeting convened on Wednesday to discuss hydel and communication projects in the province at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. The projects are expected to overcome power shortage in the province.

An official handout said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, Minister for Energy Muhammad Atif Khan, Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, Director General of Frontier Works Organisation Major-General Muhammad Afzal and officials of energy, Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) and communication departments attended the meeting.

The participants reviewed the Swat Expressway Project. They discussed the hydel generation schemes and proposed Chamkani to Badaber Bypass Road Project (Southern Bypass) in details.

The FWO director general informed the meeting that Chinese government had agreed to provide financial assistance for the implementation of Swat Expressway and six hydel projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The chief minister directed the handover of the Balakot, Batakundi, Naran, Ghorband, Shagokas and Nandihar hydel power projects to the FWO for implementation. He ordered completion of all codal formalities.

Those at the meeting were also briefed about the preparatory arrangements for initiating the work on the Swat Expressway Project. The chief minister directed the officials to expedite the preparatory activities. He asked the officials concerned to start work on the project in June this year to ensure its completion in December 2017.

Moreover, the participants of the meeting were informed that besides survey, work on preparation of PC-1 of the Chamkani to Badaber Bypass Road (Southern Bypass) was in full swing. The chief minister directed the authorities of Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority to speed up work for acquisition of the land for the project.