Power challenges: 8,000-10,000MW to be added, says Sher Ali

Minister of state says electricity will be injected by March 2018

FAISALABAD: Two major transmission line projects are ready for implementation while 8,000-10,000MW of electricity will be injected in the national grid by March 2018, said Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali, while addressing a meeting at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI).

“With effective management, honesty, transparency and administrative efforts, the incidents of power theft have been reduced to a minimum. It has also helped in the elimination of load-shedding, particularly for the industrial sector,” he said.

Similarly, he said, industry mix feeders were also observing only four hours load-shedding as government was trying its best to provide electricity to the industrial sector on a priority basis.

“When the incumbent government took charge, electricity generation was dwindling at 13,500-14,000MW against the generation capacity of 18,500MW. We are committed to take the capacity to 16,900MW by coming July or August,” said Ali.

He said the prime minister was very keenly monitoring the power plants under-construction and was chairing two meetings weekly. “For the provision of cheap electricity we are also undertaking hydel projects, but they are not only time-consuming but also cost intensive,” he added.

Currently, he said, the government preferred constructing coal-fired plants which could generate comparatively cheaper electricity. “A tender for Matiari-Lahore transmission line has been floated and the PM is expected to inaugurate work on this project next month, a transmission line would also be laid from Port Qasim to Faisalabad. Moreover, we also have plans to lay a pipeline to carry LNG from Karachi to the proposed gas-fired power plants.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2015.

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