Balakot Hydropower Project ... 300 MW

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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will start construction work on 300 megawatts Balakot HydroPower Project, the biggest provincial hydro power project to be initiated with assistance of Asian Development Bank, this year. An approval was accorded to appoint consultant for initiating practical work on this mega power project at the 48th meeting of Provincial Energy Development Organization (PEDO), a press release said here on Sunday.

The meeting was held here with Chairman Board, Nisar Muhammad Khan in the chair and attended by Additional Secretary Energy, Zafarul Islam Khattak, Hassan Nasir Khan, Abdus Siddiq, Arbab Khudadad, Bakht Zaman and Chief Executive PEDO, Engineer Naeem Khan and board members. The meeting was told that after proper tendering process approval for the agreement for the project has also been obtained.

The meeting also approved new service structure for PEDO employees in a bid to bring reforms in the organization. Chief Executive PEDO informed the meeting that Balakot Hydro Project was the biggest and most important power project for the province and its completion on urgent basis was a challenge for us. He said this gigantic project would be completed within seven years of time with an estimated cost of $722 million. He further informed that 80 percent of the total amount i.e. $580 million will be provided by the Asian Development Bank while the provincial government will provide rest of expenditures from its own resources.

 

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Make more Dams.

 

[Pandora]

KPK govt is doing a great job with building Dams. KPK can easily become our first province which runs only on renewable energy. I hope they strive for this goal and achieve it. There is so much hydro potential in KPK i really hope it is fully utilized.

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan has a hydro power potential of 41,700 MW out of which 24,000 MW is in KP province. There are currently no small to medium hydro power projects in operation in the private sector. While private sector investors have expressed interest in small to medium size projects (less than 100 MW) in the KP province, they have not moved forward because the current risk profile is high.

 

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Ceremony for Signing of Consultancy Agreement - 300MW Balakot Hydropower Project.


Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) is developing this Project with Asian Development Bank (ADB).

M/s DOLSAR Engineering Inc. Co. as lead firm with other consulting firms AGES, BAK, Civ tech & Electra win the project consultancy contract.

The project envisaged a 58 m high gravity concrete dam with about 9 km long headrace tunnel with 8m internal diameter and an underground powerhouse and Transformer Hall on the left bank of Kunhar River.

The dam axis was, identified 18.6 km upstream of town Balakot, headrace tunnel on the left bank and the powerhouse will be located in near the village of Barkot, 8.0 km upstream of Balakot town.

The project is proposed on Kunhar River originates from the glaciers above Lulu sir Lake in the Kaghan Valley of KPK. The river flows at its bloom during summers due to the fall tributary offshoots and melting snow Glaciers from well-known peaks and lakes.

The major upstream projects on Kunhar River are 884 MW Suki Kinari
, 188 MW Naran HPP and 102 MW Batakundi Hydropower Projects

However, 147 MW Patrind Power Project is the downstream of proposed Balakot project.

 

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60-day deadline set for Balakot hydropower project

PHOTO: REUTERS

PESHAWAR:
A 60-day deadline was set on Thursday to complete the 300-megawatt Balakot Hydropower Project. This was ordered by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday during the first meeting of the newly-constituted policy board of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO).

The chief minister said an unnecessary delay in completion of power projects will not be tolerated. He also directed that energy projects being built under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) must be completed by the end of the year.

The meeting was briefed about the newly constituted policy board of PEDO, its administrative structure, the proposed mechanism for appointment of the members of the executive committee and other related matters.

The meeting approved a new organisational chart under the new PEDO ordinance and also accorded approval to abolishing certain administrative slots in the old administrative structure.
Meanwhile, K-P Labour and Culture Minister Shaukat Yousafzai have said that uplift schemes will be completed without delay. He said that the development of remote areas was a top priority of the incumbent government.

Chairing a meeting of the Shangla District Development Advisory Committee on Thursday, Yousafzai said that Shangla will soon become a new tourist spot and directed to intensify work on tourism projects.

60-day deadline set for Balakot hydropower project | The Express Tribune

60-day deadline set for Balakot hydropower project

tribune.com.pk

 

[ghazi52]

Rs 85bn accord for construction of Balakot Hydropower Project signed.

In an important development for the country’s energy sector, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has signed a contract agreement for the construction of 300-megawatt Balakot Hydropower Project with a Chinese company.

As per details, the 300 MW power project would be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 85 billion in a period of six years with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

A ceremony to this effect was held on Tuesday with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan as chief guest. Concerned authorities from the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization and the Chinese construction company signed the contract agreement to start physical work on the project.
Besides provincial cabinet members Taimur Saleem Jhagra and Himayatullah khan, the event was also attended by the high ups of the provincial energy department.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister termed the project “of vital importance for the province and a milestone achievement of the KP government”, adding that the groundbreaking of the project is expected to be performed by the prime minister by the mid of next month.

Mahmood Khan stated that the project, upon completion, would play an important role in boosting industrial activities, creating jobs and developing the province. “During the construction phase, the project will generate around 4,000 job opportunities, whereas upon completion, it is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 14 billion per annum.”

The CM maintained that power generated from the hydropower project would be provided to local industries as well as domestic consumers on relatively cheaper rates. He said that the incumbent provincial government is taking result-oriented steps under a well-devised strategy to ensure optimum utilization of the hydropower potential of the province.

Hydropower projects with a total capacity of 160MW have so far been completed under PEDO, whereas work on various other projects with a total capacity of 216MW is under progress, the CM noted.

Photo Credit .. PEDO

 

[ghazi52]

CM wants Balakot hydropower project start by mid-April

CM Mahmood Khan has directed the Energy and Power Department to finalise arrangements for groundbreaking of #Balakot hydropower project by mid-April.
He said groundbreaking of the mega project was expected to be performed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
An official handout said he was chairing a meeting regarding arrangements being made for the groundbreaking of Balakot hydropower project.

 

[ghazi52]

Section-4 imposed to acquire land for Balakot Hydropower project

The district administration has imposed section-4 to acquire land for the 300 megawatts Balakot Hydropower project being built at a cost of Rs 85 billion in the Kaghan valley by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization.

“We have already fulfilled the legal formalities to acquire over 1700 kanals of land for the project and this ongoing process will shortly be completed,” Deputy Commissioner Dr Qasim Ali Khan told a briefing here on Tuesday.

A delegation of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) led by Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Energy and Power Himayatullah Khan visited the dam site in Kaghan valley at the end of briefing.

The deputy commissioner said that Balakot Hydropower project would be built downstream of the 860 megawatts Suki Kinari Hydropower project being executed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative at Kunhar River in Kaghan valley. “The bane on the sale and purchase or transfer of the land being acquired for the Balakot dam is imposed to expedite the land acquisition process,” said Dr Qasim.

 

[ghazi52]

Consultancy agreement for Balakot Hydropower Project (300 MW) had been signed last year in September. The Joint Venture consist of Dolsar (Turkey) and AGES, BAK, Electra, CivTech and TLC.

 

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With the preparatory work completed, the Balakot Hydropower Development Project is now ready to move ahead that would generate over 1200 new jobs, about 40 percent of which will be sourced locally, the Asian Development Bank said in a statement.

It said the project would also provide livelihood skills training for women. “Water indeed can serve as an engine of economic growth for Pakistan,” the statement added.

On 30 March 2021, ADB approved a $300 million loan to finance the construction of the 300-megawatt plant. The plant will incorporate seismic strengthening and climate-proofing measures and is scheduled to start operating by 2027.

It is expected to increase the hydropower share in Pakistan’s energy mix by 1200 megawatts and at the same time reduce average daily blackouts from 3.2 hours to 2 hours.

Balakot Hydropower Plant will also generate economic activity and improve the skills of local residents.

In November 2019, Pakistan’s Alternative Energy Development Board approved the Alternative and Renewable Energy Policy. As a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, Pakistan aims to increase the share of renewable energy in total power generation to 30% by 2030.

ADB has provided assistance to Pakistan’s energy sector in recent decades and improving the sector’s efficiency will remain a focus under the Country Partnership Strategy 2021-2025.

In recent decades, the southern European nation has witnessed decreasing annual rainfall and increases in the frequency and duration of droughts. Addressing these issues as part of adaptation to climate change is a priority of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began in January 2021.

Courtesy: Business Recorder