Electricity shortage: Minister vows to resolve K-P’s energy woes

Province can generate 25,000MW if provided with resources: Khattak.

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government has promised to resolve all key problems besetting Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, including the crunch issue of electricity shortages, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Friday.

“The federation has assured us that it will resolve the problems of the province on a preferential basis,” Khattak told reporters. He was speaking after a meeting with Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif.

Earlier Khawaja Asif said the province was getting its full share of electricity but pledged that this would be increased once the supply of power improves. The minister said that the province was rich with resources which will be explored to generate hydro-electric power.

Asif claimed that both the federal and provincial governments were on the same page.

“The provincial government has certain reservations” Asif said. “But the government will address all their problems and K-P will not have to protest in the future.”

He expressed hope that the K-P government would assist the federal government in the recovery of the dues.

Khattak pointed out that the federal government was providing K-P with 2,100 megawatts although the requirement of the province was 2,600MW.

He said that they were going to meet the prime minister regarding Wapda adding that the proposed dam at Kalabagh cannot be constructed without consultation of all parties. “The government will need to take all the provinces into confidence before deciding on anything,” Khattak stated.

“K-P is currently generating 5,000 megawatts of electricity which could further be increased to 25,000MW, if provided with further resources,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2013.