The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has proposed the inclusion of 17 hydel power projects of 2825 Mega Watt in CPEC and the KP govt has hired consultant for 300 Mega Watt Balakot Hydel Power Project to be launched with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
This was stated by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Energy and Power, Mohammad Atif Khan while presiding over a meeting of Energy and Power Department at Peshawar on Tuesday. He said that the award of Sharmai Hydel Power Project is being given to joint venture of Sapphire Electric and Sino Hydro of China, he added.
The meeting beside others was also attended by the Secretary Energy and Power, Engineer Naeem Khan, CEO PEDO KP, Akbar Ayub, CEO KPOGCL Raziuddin and Chief Planning Officer, Syed Zainullah Shah. The meeting was briefed in detail regarding ongoing, new and proposed projects of Energy and Power sector and certain decisions were taken in this respect.
The meeting was informed about the progress on Jabori, Lawi, Karora, Daral Khwar and Matiltan Hydro Power Projects beside Run Canal project and provision of Electricity to flood affected villages of Chitral District. The meeting was told that 2 projects of Run Canal Pilot Project would be completed by end of this month.
The meeting was further told that solar electricity for 8000 schools and 182 BHUs would be put in place in collaboration with ADB, while work to solarize 6000 villages have already been approved. The minister directed the authorities concerned to include 1000 mosques in the solarization projects too.
Mr. Atif while directing the quarter concerned for accelerating work on Hydel Power Projects said that 150 out of 356 Micro Hydel Power Projects have been completed and required the concerned to ensure the completion of remaining projects by December 31, 2017 at all costs.
He said due to transparent policies of the provincial government, national as well as international investors are eager to invest billions of rupees in the KP province. He hoped that investment in the following one and half years would go up to billions of US Dollars. The minister maintained that there was conducive atmosphere for investors in all sectors and now they can invest in any field of their choice without fear. Due to the policy of zero tolerance on corruption, the KP government has become a role model for the federal as well as other provincial governments and they are following policies of KP government which is encouraging.