Secretary Energy and Power Muhammad Zubair Khan has said that several ongoing energy projects are in the final stages of completion, which will be helpful for the stability of the economy of province and the development of industrial sector in future.
High-level forums will be contacted soon to solve the problems faced by the energy projects with the federal institutions. The timely completion of energy projects is in the interest of the province and the people, so the ongoing projects should be completed as soon as possible and the production of electricity should be started.
The most important institution like Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) will be made developed as well as most income generated institution of the province with the support of experts under team work. He expressed these views in progress review meeting held in PEDO House regarding the pace of work in ongoing energy projects here.
Chief Executive PEDO, Engr. Riaz Ahmed Jan while giving a briefing informed that under the supervision of PEDO, work is currently underway on several energy projects including hydro, solar power and transmission line.
Meanwhile, PEDO has successfully completed 7 hydropower projects, with total 161 megawatts of electricity is being generated, that are earning more than Rs. 4 billion annually, while 12 projects including 300 MW Balakot Mansehra, 157 MW Madyen Swat, 88 MW Gabral Kalam, 84 MW Matiltan Swat, 69 MW Lawi Chitral, 40.8 MW Koto Dir, 11.8 MW Krora Shangla, 10.5 MW Chapri Charkhel Kuram and 6.9 MW Mujahideen Power Project Torghar
He said working is going on rapidly in these projects which will generate a total of 778 MW of electricity and the province will have an annual income of more than 45 billion rupees. Most of these projects are in the final stages of completion, CEO Riaz Jan concluded.
Later on, Project Director Solar Engr. Asfandyar gave a briefing and explained that the provincial government has completed plans to transfer 8 thousand schools, 5762 mosques, 6650 houses, 187 primary health units and government buildings including the Chief Minister Secretariat/House and some offices in the Civil Secretariat to solar energy in different districts of province.
He further added that due to solarization system, people and the government are saving millions of rupees in terms of monthly electricity bills. The Chief Minister KP has recently inaugurated 2 big flagship projects costing 55 billion rupees, in which 13,000 government buildings will be converted to solar energy at a cost of 20 billion rupees and 130,000 households at a cost of 35 billion rupees in the next 2 years.
Under the free solar scheme, more than 1 million applications have been received through online system, he concluded. At the end of the meeting, Secretary E&P expressed his satisfaction with the overall performance of PEDO and strongly warned the concerned authorities that the ongoing energy projects should be completed within the stipulated period.
