Work on NMTDs’ electrification schemes to begin this month

CM directs to expedite work on power projects in the tribal belt

PESHAWAR: Work on setting up new electricity feeders and rehabilitating old feeders apart from village electrification schemes is set to begin later this month under the Ten Year Development Plan for the newly merged tribal districts (NMTDs). However, the chief minister has directed to speed up this work.

This was disclosed during a meeting to review projects of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) at the Chief Minister House in Peshawar on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan.

During the meeting, it was briefed that as many as 76 new 11 kilovolt feeders will be set up across the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (Fata). Simultaneously, some 59 feeders will be rehabilitated while new village electrification schemes will be initiated in the NMTDs.

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Under the Ten Years Development Plan, an estimated Rs2.039 billion have been allocated for the power transmission projects. Of this, the government has so far released Rs1.431 billion to start work on projects in Bajaur, Mohmand, North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar, FR Kohat, FR Bannu, FR Lakki Marwat, FR Dera Ismail Khan and FR Tank.

Similarly, Rs419 million have been released for village electrification schemes under the Annual Development Programme (ADP). Once complete, the scheme will electrify some 440 villages across the tribal belt.

Chairing the meeting, CM Mahmood directed to speed up the pace of development work in these areas, pointing out that funds have already been released to TESCO to upgrade grid stations, transmission lines and feeders.

The CM was told that development work is being carried out on an emergency basis to provide immediate relief to locals by rehabilitating the Makeen and Tiarza areas in South Waziristan Tribal District, bifurcation of four 11 kV Feeders and interlinking eight 11 kV feeders with new 132 kV GSS Khar in Bajaur Tribal District, upgrading the 66kV Khar-Bajaur Grid Station and the 66 kV Jandola Grid Station to 132 kV each.

Under the Ten Years Development Plan, Rs2.165 billion out of Rs3.093 billion have been released and will be used for upgrading the existing 66kV Sadda, Alizai, Kalaya and Ghiljo grid stations in Orakzai and Kurram Districts respectively to 132kV. Each of these grid stations has a transformation capacity of 52 million volt-amperes (MVA).

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Moreover, Rs845 million have been provided to build a 132 kV grid station in Northern Mohmand to connect to the 132kV transmission line. Further, augmentation of faulty 10/13MVA power transformer at the Miran Shah grid station with a new 40MVA power transformer, augmentation of a 10/13 MVA power transformer by 40 MVA at the 132 kV grid station in Razmak, adding a 40MVA transformer along with a transformer bay at the 132 kV Bara grid station have also been included in the ADP.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2019.