PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan and Provincial Minister for Education and Energy Atif Khan on Wednesday jointly inaugurated newly constructed micro hydropower generation stations in Battagram district with main focus of provision of inexpensive electricity to consumers.
They inaugurated three micro powers stations includes 200 KW Bela Bala, 75 KW Shagai and 30 KW Beesa Khait with 305 KW capacity in Batgram district during an ceremony attended by Secretary Energy and Power Engr. Naeem Khan, Chairman PEDO Board, Shakil Durrani, CEO PEDO, Akbar Ayub and District Nazim Batgram, Atta-ur-Rahman Tarnd besides elites of the City.
The PTI Chief said these projects will generate inexpensive electricity for domestic consumption and a large number of people would be benefited from it. These are community driven projects and residents of the area will run it.
Imran Khan said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will establish 350 micro hydropower generation stations during next one a half years.
The Minister announced up gradation of local high school to Higher Secondary and construction of Sports Stadium in Shamlai.
Addressing on the occasion, the minister said that work on 356 mini micro hydel projects costing Rs 5.524 billion in 12 different districts of the province was underway with community partnership out of which 37 have been constructed while remaining would be completed by end of 2017 benefiting a population of more than 300,000.
He added that number of mini micro hydel projects would be enhanced to 1000 with support of Asian Development Bank. He said a new power policy 2016 has been approved for full utilization of hydel power potential.
Atif Khan maintained that presently work on six power projects of 214 MW was in progress out of which three projects would start producing 56 MW electricity this year.
To attract domestic and foreign investment in the province, six hydel power projects in private sector including Arkari Goal (Chitral) 99 MW, Naran Dam (Mansehra) 188 MW, Sheko Kach(Dir Lower) 120 MW, Gorband (Shangla) 21 MW, Batta Kundi (Mansehra), 96 MW and Nandihar (Batagram) 12 MW have already been advertised while work on 84 MW Mataltan hydro power project in Swat has also been approved.
The Provincial Minister asserted that PEDO has also a plan of installing solar panels in 5650 houses besides provision of solar power to 200 villages of the province adding large scale activities started by PEDO during the present era is unprecedented.
Source: APP
