Work on Tarbela extension project to start soon

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Managing Director Tahir Basharat Cheema on Saturday said that feasibility study of Tarbela IV extension project has been completed and development work will start soon to generate 900 megawatts of electricity.

Addressing a press conference, Cheema said that estimated cost of the project is $1.2 billion while feasibility reports of 740MW Munda hydropower project and 840MW Suki Kenari have also been prepared and development work on the projects will start soon.

He said development work on 4,500 Diamer-Basha Dam will also start in May next year with an estimated cost of $9.8 billion while work will start on 1,100MW Kohala Project with an estimated cost of $1.7 billion.

He said the government was also ready to start work on Thar Coal based project of overall capacity of 6,000MW with estimated cost of $7.2 billion. He said 225MW Atlas Power Project will start production by end of this month while Orient power project will start in June this year to generate 225MW.

Cheema said overall 3,060MW electricity will be generated by end of this year which will help in improving the power situation and there will be no load shedding after 2009.

He said out of total electricity to be generated during year 2009 around 1,542MW electricity from rental projects while 1,519MW will be generated by independent power producers (IPPs).

He added 800MW additional power is also likely from captive power plant. He said the government is committed to developing indigenous resources to produce un-interrupted electricity at affordable rate to country people. He said in year 2010 around 300MW electricity will be generated through rehabilitation of GENCOs plants while 502MW will be added in system in next year through hydropower in public sector.

He said 969MW Neelum-Jhelum project will start production in 2015 along with other projects which are in pipeline. Cheema said the government has fixed the target of installation of minimum 9,700MW electricity through wind and solar energy by the year 2030.

He added 4,000 homes in over 70 remote, off-grid villages have been electrified while 300 villages in Balochistan are being electrified through alternative energy. He said overall 7,784 villages will be electrified. He said 50MW solar thermal power plant will also be set up in the public sector.

He said there is estimated potential of over 200MW of electricity generation through waste in major cities of the country while current installed capacity is 35MW. He said the government has formulated power sector strategy to meet the country’s energy needs and underpin high levels of economic growth.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=176824