Negligence in energy projects intolerable: Minister
PESHAWAR (APP): Provincial Minister for Energy and Power Nazir Ahmad Abbasi here Thursday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a province rich in energy resources and warned that negligence will not be tolerated in energy projects.
He said taking revolutionary steps for the development of the industrial sector in the province through maximum utilization of natural resources and production of cheap electricity is the top priority of the current provincial government.
The minister said the ongoing solar energy projects including hydroelectricity projects of the department in the province will prove to be a game changer for the development of the province in the coming days.
“Timely and quality completion of energy projects in the province is the biggest challenge for us. All matters in the department will be dealt with on merit, while dealing with matters with merit and transparency is important for all of us,” he expressed these views during a briefing given by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO), a subsidiary of the department, after taking charge of his portfolio as Minister Energy & Power Department.
On this occasion, Secretary Energy Nisar Ahmed and PEDO Chief Executive Engineer Anwar ul Haq gave a briefing and said that under the supervision of PEDO, work is going on rapidly on various energy projects for the production of cheap hydropower in the province.
A total of 224 MW of electricity is currently being generated from the hydropower projects completed under PEDO, which are generating billions of rupees annually.
Similarly, seven projects including 300 MW Balakot Mansehra, 157 MW Madin Swat, 88 MW Gabral Work is progressing rapidly on Kalam, 84 MW Mittaltan Swat, 69 MW Lawi Chitral, 10.5 MW Chapri Charkhel Kurram and 6.9 MW Mujahideen Power Project Torghar projects, while work is also progressing rapidly on the project to lay the province’s own 40-kilometer long 132/220 KV transmission line from Mittaltan to Madin.
Meanwhile, under the PEDO department, several projects have been completed to convert thousands of schools, mosques, and basic health centers to solar energy, while practical work is also being started on the project to provide free solar systems to 130,000 deserving families.
Minister Nazir Ahmad Abbasi, while expressing satisfaction with the performance of the department, stressed that no delay in public interest projects will be tolerated. He expressed hope that the department’s income will be further increased by completing the ongoing energy projects on time.
