Business

Focus on energy: CDWP gives nod to projects for 2,400MW supply to Punjab

Approves Rs30b worth of projects; focus also on higher education sector.

Our Correspondent April 28, 2015

Under the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, the government wants to set up three LNG-fired power plants in Punjab. PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD:

In a bid to pacify the Punjab population amid a growing energy crisis in the province, the federal government on Tuesday approved two projects to transmit electricity from the 2,400-megawatt Liquefied Natural Gas-fired power plants that will be set up in the province. This was in addition to clearing half a dozen education sector schemes.

Headed by Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved 12 projects worth Rs30 billion and recommended another four schemes amounting to Rs14 billion for final approval of Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec). The cost of these projects was over Rs3 billion, which is the maximum benchmark for CDWP approval.

The CDWP approved Rs1.6 billion scheme to transmit power from 1200MW RLNG based combined cycle power plant that will be setup at Haveli Bahadur Shah District Jhang.

The project will be completed in 18 months and mainly financed by international financing institutions. The CDWP recommended another project costing Rs3.5 billion to Ecnec for final approval, which will also be implemented in 18 months to transmit power from 1,200-MW RLNG Based Combined Cycle Power Plant at Balloki District Kasur.

Under the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, the government wants to set up three LNG-fired power plants in Punjab and is eager to complete them before the end of its term in order to fulfill the promise of bringing an end to load-shedding in Punjab.

The CDWP cleared another project, Jagran-I Hydro Power transmission line, worth Rs4.7 billion to connect future projects in the Neelum Valley with the grid station. The project is located 90km from Muzzafarabad. The project will help provide electricity to villages in Jagran and surrounding areas.

Educational projects

The CDWP approved six schemes in the higher education sector. As many as 38 higher education projects have been approved during the last two years, which is a record, said Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

He said this was an unprecedented number of HEC projects, showing the government’s commitment towards higher education.

He directed HEC to develop a 10-year human resource plan for Pakistan to guide PhD scholarship programmes.

The project of developing a new campus of GC University Lahore at Kala Shah Kaku was approved a cost of Rs982 million aimed at establishing the first ever sub-campus of the university. Prior to initiating academic activities at campus, a detailed academic feasibility study was carried out and 35 academic programs were identified which will be implemented in phases. The project will be completed in three years.

The project of providing academic and research facilities at Sardar Bahadur khan Women’s University at Quetta was approved at a cost of Rs696 million with an estimate completion date of two years.

With an estimated cost of Rs209 million, the CDWP approved construction of a boys and girls hostel (100 capacity for each) at Islamia College University Peshawar.

In addition, with the cost of Rs6.2 billion, the CDWP cleared 3,000 scholarships for Afghan students, a project aimed to be implemented in the next six years.

The project will award scholarships to around 12,468 students in areas of engineering and technology, agriculture and veterinary sciences and other basic and social sciences.

The CDWP also cleared a joint project of United States Agency for International Development and Higher Education Commission. The Fulbright Scholarship Support Program will cost Rs12.6 billion and 79% of the cost will be borne by the US government. As many as 816 Fulbright scholarships will be awarded, including 550 scholarships for masters/M phil and 266 PhD in priority areas. At a cost of Rs176 million, the CDWP approved to setup a Safe Blood Transfusion Services project in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 29^th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (8)

Malveros | 8 years ago | Reply @Haider: Have u looked at the plan in detail ? Your points are valid however the route is gonna pass through smaller cities of KPK, Punjab and Baluchistan. The whole country is going to be linked as progress has to come to all parts of Pakistan. The routes which are not security intensive will be started first as the security of chinese is paramount.

Haider | 8 years ago | Reply @Malvero there are problems in Baluchistan and NS should solve them.Has he given any attention to Baluchistan. It is the biggest problem of Pakistan...Why route needs to paas from Lahore-Multan.They are already developed. It should paas from small cities like Mianwali and others so that more cities become big in Pakistan.If route crosses from small cities there will be more development in those cities.People from small cities will not migrate to Lahore,Fsd because they will be getting facilities in those cities.....