KP government to start construction of Rs 8.89 billion worth hydel power stations
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has approved Rs 8.898 billion for construction of some major and other small hydel power stations in various parts of the province under the supervision of the Department of Energy & Power.
The decision was taken in the 6th meeting of the Board of Hydel Development under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa department of Power & Energy held here with Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in the chair at Chief Minister’s Secretariat Peshawar.
Those who attended included Minister Energy & Power Mohammad Atif Khan, Minister Finance Muzaffar Said, Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Khalid Pervez, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mohammad Ishfaq Khan Secretary Energy & Power Sahibzada Saeed Ahmad, CEO PEDO Bahadar Shah, representatives of the Bank of Khyber, State Bank of Pakistan and other concerned sectors.
The energy sector projects are included the construction of Koto Hydel Power Project in district Dir Lower with power generation capacity of 40.8 MW for which Rs 1.453 billion has been released. It will be completed with estimated cost of 12 billion while its tender bids have been opened last month.
The rest of the projects included Construction of Matiltan Hydro Power Project in Swat district having the capacity of 84 MW for which Rs 1,020.968m have been released. Similarly Rs 757.905 million have been released for construction of Karora HPP in Shangla district, Rs 735.198m for Jabori HPP in district Mansehra, Rs 1,706.810m for Daral Khwar HPP in Swat district and Rs 199.997m for Lawi HPP 69 MW in Chitral district Rs 303.560m have also been released for feasibility studies of small power generation sites Phase-I that will yield total electricity of 2000 MW of up to 15 MW small units while Rs 341.560m released for feasibility studies of raw sites Phase-II wherein small power houses up to 10 MW will be set-up in 12 districts of the province and it would produce a total volume of 1000 MW electricity. The 9th important project is about construction of 356 mini/micro hydel stations for which Rs 2,379.000m have been released. This plan was inaugurated through PTI chairman Imran Khan by laying foundation stone of 56KW Sakhra Lalkahoo micro hydel station in Tehsil Matta Swat on August 7 this year.
The KP government has already decided that under first phase of the energy plan, the provincial government would establish 356 small hydel power stations at village and town levels in remote areas of the province with cost of Rs 12 b whereas Rs 6.70 billion have been allocated for it.
Addressing the participants of the meeting the Chief Minister directed the authorities of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) for the best utilisation of the allocated resources to arrest the prevailing energy crisis, initiating hydropower projects and taking emergency measures for its timely completion.
The meeting also approved multi audit mechanism for judicious and transparent expenditures of the allocated funds. Pervez Khattak said that expeditious measures would not only help in speedy control over energy shortage in the province, but would also generate maximum economic and employment opportunities to put the people on the track of progress and prosperity.
He said that besides hydel resources, the province is blessed with precious oil, gas, coal and solar resources. He said that maximum exploration of these resources for the development of the province is among the top most priorities of the present PTI-led provincial government and for this purpose, he said, his government is burning mid nights and to achieve the set targets.
