News
Monday, August 13, 2012
WAPDA to generate 1,444MW with six projects* Projects to cost Rs 138.995 billion, stabilise electricity tariff, reduce dependence on imported oil
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) on Sunday said it was working on six hydropower projects with cumulative generation capacity of about 1,444 megawatts, out of which five projects were in construction phase, while the remaining was in the final stage of its detailed engineering designs.
WAPDA said it would spend around Rs 138.995 billion to execute the six projects for stabilising energy and the hydropower sector in the country for fiscal year 2012-2013.
Reports revealed by WAPDA said that it was executing on priority the 969MW Neelum-Jhelum, 130MW Bubeer Khwar Kohistan, 121MW Allai Khwar, 100MW Jinnah Hydropower, 22MW Jabban Hydropower, and Chitral KP projects to meet the increasing demand of electricity in the country.
The reports said that an amount of Rs 16.324 billion had been set to build the Bubeer Khwar Kohistan power plant that would produce 130MW. The reports added that 86 percent of the work had been completed and the project would be completed in March 2013.
The reports said that WAPDA project had approved another major scheme at a cost of Rs 13.835 billion to complete the Allai Khwar in Battagram, which would produce 121MW. It said that 90 percent of work had been completed while the remaining 10 percent would be completed by October this year.
WAPDA said that a project of Rs 13.456 billion had been set up for the Jinnah Hydropower Plant located in Mianwali, Punjab, which would help eradicate power crisis in the province. It said that 95 percent of work has been completed and the project would start functioning from December this year without any procedural delay.
Additionally, another major project of Rs 84.502 billion had been allotted to Neelum-Jhelum in AJK for producing 969MW of hydropower, the reports said, adding that it would be completed in November 2016 and that around 35 percent of the work had been completed.
WAPDA said that another project would be set up in Chitral for which Rs 7.035 billion had been allocated, and that it would be completed by February 2015.
Separately, an amount of Rs 3.753 billion had been allotted to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for the rehabilitation of Jabban Hydropower Plant located in Malakand division, having the capacity of generating 22MW power. The reports said that 25 percent of work had been completed whereas 75 percent would get done by March 2013.
WAPDA also said that a project in District DI Khan, costing around Rs 61.066 billion, was ready for implementation.
These projects would not only help stabilise electricity tariff by increasing ratio of low-cost hydel electricity in the national grid but also reduce dependence on imported oil.
Overall objective of setting around Rs 138.995 billion on different projects is to reduce energy crisis and to ensure access of power supply to industries in order to stabilise economy of country, a WAPDA official said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk