Hydropower: Three-fourths work completed, says Sher Ali

Blames previous governments for delay in Neelum-Jhelum power plant

ISLAMABAD: About 76% work at the Neelum-Jhelum power plant has been completed and its first unit would start supplying 242 megawatt (MW) electricity to the national grid by July 2017, Minister of State for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said during a visit to the power plant on Thursday.

“By the end of December 2017, the remaining three units, each having the capacity to generate 242 MW, would start supplying electricity to the national grid.”

The Minister said that the project was delayed due to flawed planning of the previous governments. Completion of the project would help overcome power shortage in the country, he added.

Ali said that as per the promise made by PML-N during its election campaign, the power shortage would end by March 2018. He said that despite financial constraints, the present government continued to work on the Neelum-Jhelum project and has arranged finances for hastening completion.

Lt General (R) Muhammad Zubair, Chief Executive Officer of the project, said in a briefing that over Rs189 billion had been spent on the project to date.

“The project would be completed within the given time period,” he assured, adding that speedy work is in progress for laying transmission lines. “50% of the work to upgrade transmission lines had been completed across the country while work on the remaining transmission lines is in progress.”

He regretted that all the previous governments had not initiated work to upgrade transmission lines. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th,  2016.

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