Meeting of the Standing Committee on Energy and Power of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly
A meeting of the Standing Committee on Energy and Power of Provincial Assembly was held on Friday in the Assembly Conference Room under the chairmanship of Member Provincial Assembly and Committee Chairman Daud Shah.
The meeting was attended by committee members Arbab Usman, Anwar Zeb, Gul Ibrahim, Iftikhar Mashwani, Mehmood Sher, Anwar Khan, Taj Muhammad Tarand, and Mian Sharafat, along with Secretary Energy Zubair Khan, officials from PEDO, the Energy Department, Provincial Assembly, Sui Northern Gas, and the Law Department.
Officials from the Energy Department provided the committee with a detailed briefing on the 40 kilometer long 132/220 kV transmission line from Gorkin Matiltan to Bahrain, various solar energy projects, and hydropower projects in Upper Dir district.
During the briefing, the Secretary Energy informed that PEDO has initiated work on laying a 40 kilometer long 132/220 kV transmission line in Swat, at an estimated cost of approximately eight billion rupees. Under this project, 171 electricity poles will be installed. This transmission line will transfer 84 megawatts of electricity generated from the Gorkin Matiltan Hydropower Project to the Daral Khwar Hydropower Project in Bahrain. In the future, this line will also help transmit electricity from other PEDO projects to the national grid and industrial zones.
He added that the project will be completed within 18 months, after which the transmission line will be extended to Chakdara under Lot-II.
During the meeting, Project Director mini micro Hydropower projects Faisal Dawar provided a detailed briefing to the committee regarding mini hydropower projects in Upper Dir. The committee members also held an in-depth discussion on the mentioned projects.
Project Director Solarization, Asfandyar Khan presented details on completed and ongoing solar energy projects in the province, particularly in the merged districts as well as correspondence with the Finance Department regarding project funding.
Chairman of the committee Daud Shah and other committee members termed the transmission line project in Swat a historic step, stating that it will enable the provision of affordable electricity from PEDO’s power plants to local communities and industries. They suggested launching major hydropower projects in the future and outsourcing mini micro Hydropower projects. Additionally, they instructed PEDO Officials that the concerns of local residents in Swat be addressed.
