News
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Nawaz doesn’t see conspiracy against his govt* PM orders early completion of 6,600MW Gadani Power Project
GHOTKI: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday he did not see any conspiracy against the PML-N-led government.
Talking to reporters during his visit to flood-hit areas of Sindh, the prime minister said that his government would make every effort to rehabilitate flood-affected people of the area.
He directed all provincial governments to enhance their preparedness to counter flood threats. He said that necessary measures for relief and rehabilitation of the flood-affected population should be ensured.
The PM said that besides Sindh, the recent rains had affected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and some parts of Balochistan. He said that several flood-hot families had been shifted to safer places after their villages were inundated.
Separately, chairing a meeting of Gadani Power Park Steering Committee in Hub, Nawaz said that top priority would be given to the completion of Gadani Power Park Project in order to generate 6,600MW electricity and meet the country’s growing industrial and domestic energy needs.
The prime minister said that all-out efforts should be made to complete the project at its earliest. He also evinced keen interest in the power project that would house 10 power plants, each having power generation capacity of 660MW, and estimated to cost around $14 billion.
He was informed that work on the project would start in March 2014 and Pakistan would install the first power plant while the rest would be installed by foreign investors on built-own-operate and transfer basis. IPPs will be selected through international bidding by Pakistan Power and Infrastructure Board.
The prime minister said China has shown interest in installing four power plants. He directed authorities to simplify the procedures of awarding projects to private companies in a transparent manner.
The prime minister was informed that the Balochistan government will provide 5000 acres for the power park that will be connected with a seven-kilometre-long jetty to bring in 20 million tonnes of coal.
He was told that Pakistan Power Park Management Company has been incorporated to carry out the infrastructure-related work of the project and seed money of Rs 1 billion has been allocated for the company.
Nawaz lauded efforts of the water and power minister and secretary concerned for carrying forward the power projects. He said various parties were interested in the Gadani Power Project “so the government should accomplish its own task at earliest to win confidence of the other parties”.
Nawaz directed the finance minister to approach the World Bank to arrange funding for the project. The finance minister said that private companies can also manage the same at their own from their respective financial institutions and hoped that there would be no funding issue in this regard.
The prime minister said the project should be duly publicised to aware the private investors and also directed the finance minister to arrange a briefing for the local bankers on the project as they too were interested to be part of it.
The water and power secretary assured the prime minister that the project would be completed on a fast track basis.
The prime minister also informed the meeting that he would be visiting Turkey on the invitation of Turkish prime minister from September 16 to 18. He said the Turkish PM has also invited Pakistani businessmen to Turkey so that they can interact with their counterparts and enter into joint ventures.
Nawaz asked the Pakistani private sector to hold a road show in Istanbul to seek Turkish investment in the power projects.
The briefing was attended by Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Water and Power Khwaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Energy Mussadiq Malik. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk