French Ambassador Daniel Jouanneau visited the project site on Wednesday where civil work is in process at the country’s oldest large hydropower plant built in 1937, according to a press statement issued by the French embassy.
Jabban Power Project, located on Swat canal in Malakand Division, discontinued its production after a fire broke out in November 2006.
The rehabilitation work will increase the capacity of the plant up to 22MW from 19MW. After rehabilitation, the plant will employ 50 people and provide electricity to more than 240,000 people.
As a member of the group of Friends of Democratic Pakistan, France is very sensitive to the welfare of the Pakistani population and is committed to implementing sustainable development projects on the energy and water sectors, the statement said.
The exceptional potential of Pakistan in terms of hydropower encourages both parties to jointly engage in other projects in the future. AFD, WAPDA and HEB have already identified other hydropower plants projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. In the near future, AFD’s expected funding in promoting hydropower in Pakistan will reach about 240 million euros for an additional installed capacity of 221 MW.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2011.
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