Flood-affected power plant in KP: Secy wants restoration work to be launched soon

PESHAWAR: Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy & Power, Nisar Ahmad Khan has agreed with the estimated cost for restoration the flood-affected power plant of 36.6 megawatt Daral Khawar Hydropower Project.

The Secretary Energy & Power Nisar Ahmad Khan and PEDO Chief Executive Engineer Naeem Khan along with the team of expert engineers working on the project paid an emergency visit to Daral Khawar powerhouse Swat despite severe cold and heavy snowfall, said a press release issued here on Sunday.

During briefing, the Secretary Energy and Power was told that the Daral Khawar power plant under the supervision of PEDO was successfully completed by a team of Chinese and local engineers in 2021. The project is earning Rs.1.30 billion annually to the province, but the power plant has been severely damaged due to the recent catastrophic floods. Secretary Energy Nisar Ahmad Khan inspected the spillway, sand trap, power channel, switch yard and other parts of the flood-affected powerhouse thoroughly and issued necessary instructions to the CEO PEDO Naeem Khan regarding the repair of the power house.

He also praised the Chief Engineers of PEDO and their team who participated in the maintenance and safety works by staying at the project site for 1 month continuously for the immediate protection of the destroyed power plant.

Later, the Secretary Energy during a high-level meeting rejected the report issued by the inspection team that reviewed the costs of the damages in Daral Khawar power plant and issued orders to invalidate the inspection team. He said that the said team consisted of non-technical persons who wrongly denied expenditure by misunderstanding certain matters on the basis of ignorance. He issued instructions to reconstitute the inspection team of the institution.

The Secretary also expressed satisfaction over the details of costs incurred for the restoration of the power house in PC-1 by the PEDO engineers and said that the site of the damaged power house has been thoroughly inspected along with the PEDO Chief, therefore the details of the expenses have been declared satisfactory.

He directed that PC-1 immediately submit to Planning & Development department to start the restoration work on the destroyed power plant on an emergency basis after approval so that the production of electricity can be resumed which is very necessary for the interest of the province.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023