MULTAN, Pakistan: State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali said on Wednesday that 8,000 to 10,000 Megawatt electricity would be added to national grid by 2018, which would help control electricity crisis in the country.
Talking to the media persons here at Multan Tea House, he said that electricity generation would reach to 18,000 megawatts during August 2016, which would surely help reducing loadshedding hours significantly.
Maximum relief would be given to consumers regarding loadshedding in the coming Ramazan, he added.
About work on different electricity generation projects, Abid Sher informed that three wind powered projects including Haveeli Bahadar Shah, Mithi and Balloki would start generating 2200 Megawatt electricity by June 2017.
Two Coal Power projects including Sahiwal and Kot Qasim, would generate 1240 megawatt electricity by June 2017 and January 2018, respectively, he said and added the work on both power projects was in progress with a brisk pace which would be completed within 28 months.
However, time duration for completion of such projects was 40 months internationally, he added.
There are another four projects which would be run on RLNG and these would produce 1000 Megawatt electricity, he said. These projects includes Piran Ghaib, Faisalabad, Nawab Shah, Araen road Sakhar and Shiekhupura, he added.
Single circle of these projects would start generation from 2017 and Combine Circle from January 2018. Similarly, Tarbela Section-4, would also start generating electricity 1500 megawatt by December 2017, Abid said.
About Dasu Dam project, he maintained that work on this 4200 megawatt project would be started from September 2016, adding that 80 percent work related to land acquisition had been completed which would prove to be game changer.
About the work on transmission lines, Abid Sher observed that main transmission line from Mityari to Lahore would be completed with one and a half years.
Transmission Line from Kot Qasim to Faisalabad would be completed during second phase, he added.
The State Minister maintained that there was zero loadshedding for industry, four hours loadshedding to powerloom sector, six hours to urban areas and eight hours to rural areas. Abid Sher Ali claimed the department was working purely on merit and informed that electricity connections of different parliamentarians and SP House had been disconnected due to default.
Nearly 95 percent work on pictorial metre reading process had been completed in Mepco region and hoped that consumers would get bills with pictorial display from next month. The ministry is also spending Rs 1.65 billion on improvement grid stations, transmission lines and other schemes in Mepco region.
To a query about Panama leaks, Abid Sher said that it was first time in country’s history that a Prime Minister had presented himself for accountability.
The PML-N government was focusing on constructive politics while opponents were doing destructive politics.
Those who had any issues, would go to judicial commission.
He further observed that masses had rejected politics of Imran Khan.
Source: APP
