Shangla hopes for an end to load-shedding with new grid station

Shang grid station to be inaugurated by information minister next week

PESHAWAR: Residents of Shangla are hoping that their long wait for hours-long load-shedding in the mountainous district will come to an end once the government energises a new grid station early next week.

In a high level-meeting with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESC) chief Dr Amjad khan at the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) House in Peshawar on Friday, it was decided that the Shang Grid Station in Shangla will start properly working from next Tuesday. This will bring unscheduled load shedding in the area to an end. Further, three new electricity transformers will be installed in the Pirabad union council to overcome electricity load-shedding.

During the meeting, it was disclosed that the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has officially decided to hand over the Shang grid station to PESCO.

Power tariff stays high on increase in capacity payments

At this, Yousafzai told the PESCO chief about unscheduled load shedding in Shangla areas, including Besham.

Dr Amjad assured Yousafzai that he will take notice of the matter and instructed the concerned department to take action for the provision of power to Besham.

He added that this problem will be solved once the information minister inaugurates the grid station next Tuesday.

The provincial minister was further told that 114 new transmission pylons will be installed along Shahrah-e-Resham (Silk Route0 for which the necessary documentation has been completed with the National Highway Authority (NHA).

Further, the minister was told that in the next few days, the main electricity transformer — which has already been installed in Chathar Plain — will be transferred to Shang due to which it is feared that there will be a blackout.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2019.