New power plants: 'Region’s hydel potential to be tapped'

Work on 2 projects with cumulative generation capacity of 153MW will start in December this year: Hoti

PESHAWAR:

Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on Saturday that a comprehensive strategy has been chalked out for utilising the region’s true potential for generating electricity.

Addressing the 26th meeting of the board of directors of the Sarhad Hydel Development Organisation (Shydo) during a visit to the Malakand-III Project in Dargai, he said that work on two projects with a cumulative generation capacity of 153 megawatts will start at Matlitan and Lawi Chitral in December this year practical.

He directed the completion of other hydropower generating projects in the province. He said that after terrorism, energy crisis is the most serious problem faced by the country, and said the government is working on emergency basis for resolving the problem. During the meeting, the chief minister was  briefed on the progress on power projects initiated by both public and private sectors.

He said that practical steps should be taken for resolving the energy crisis confronting the country.

The provincial government, he said, has prepared a comprehensive strategy for overcoming the crisis and strengthening the province’s economy through the utilisation of the region’s huge hydropower potential.

He ordered the officials to complete the Matlitan and Lawi power projects on time.

Later, Shydo’s managing director Bahadar Shah briefed the meeting about the initiation of work on 153 hydropower projects, including the 17MW power unit at Raniwala Khawar.

He said that work on the 2.6MW Machai hydropower project would start in January or February next year. Similarly, work on the 31MW project in Koto, Dir, 8MW project in Jabori, Mansehra and 10MW generation unit in Karora, Shangla is expected to start in July next year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st,  2011.