KP govt focusing on power generation from renewable resources

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Yousafzai on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had focused on power generation from renewable resources.

Speaking at a briefing about the Mini Micro Hydro Projects at the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) office, he believed that previous government had damaged the country’s economy by launching expensive power projects. The minister said the government had finalized plans for the production of 1400 megawatts of electricity. He said that the past government had not initiated any mega hydropower project but the PTI government had launched work on Mohmand and Basha dams. He said previous governments had started expensive projects of power generation that had led to the electricity crisis in the country.

Shaukat Yousafzai said that after completion of these projects, cheap electricity could be supplied to industries. He said that PTI government had focused on renewable energy production, adding the Transmission and Grid Systems Company was a great achievement of the province, adding that now the province can undertake projects to develop the industrial sector.

The minister said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa must be prepared to take advantage of the situation after the resolution of the Afghanistan issue. “Our province could get easy access to Central Asia,” he said and added that the net hydel profit issue with the federal government had almost been resolved and the province was getting Rs 3billion monthly. He said the province would not give up its rights. Advisor to Chief Minister on Power and Energy Himayatullah said that provincial government had secured the license for establishing Transmission and Grid Systems Company for laying transmission lines in the province.

He said that the province can lay lines ranging from 11 KV to 220 KV and establish own gridsation. However, he said that transmission lines would not be laid in the areas where the national grid lines already existed.

The adviser said the existing system can transmit 25, 000 megawatts electricity. The 1100 megawatts electricity that would be produced by the five projects in Swat would be supplied to consumers through the transmission lines of the provincial company. The international consultants that would arrive in summer would propose feasible sites for these lines.

Secretary Power and Energy Muhammad Zubair said that laying transmission lines were an expensive endeavor. He added that the Transmission and Grid Systems Company was established to meet the future needs of the province.

He said the Transmission and Grid Systems Company would also be helpful in establishing industrial estates after the grids are being established due to the lack of national grid’s lines. This company, he added, would expedite the establishment of industrial units in the province.

The adviser said that Pedo was taking care to award projects to the organizations that have experience in executing such projects. Regarding the 356 micro-hydropower projects, he said that these are social uplift projects for the areas that are still without electricity.

SRSP CEO Masoodul Mulk said that micro hydel power projects were a good initiative. It was providing electricity at very cheap cost that could provide support to the tourism industry in these remote areas where the projects were executed.He said that SRSP was undertaking 105 projects, which would be completed by June this year. He added that micro-hydropower projects were undertaken at a very large scale in Pakistan.