Less load shedding from next month, NA told

Govt hoping to add 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power to national grid: minister - 103 micro-hydropower plants at Chitral and other places in Gilgit-Baltistan to generate 15 megawatts of electricity

Daily Times - ISLAMABAD: Load shedding will decrease with an increase in the water inflow in Mangla and Tarbela dams next month, Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf told the National Assembly on Thursday.

Responding to questions during question hour, Ashraf said the government was aware of the importance of industrial and agricultural sectors and that these sectors were being given priority in power supply while drawing the load management schedule.

Hoping: The minister said the government was working on a number of options to increase electricity generation and hoped that up to 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power would be added to the national grid in 10 years.

He said 63 feasibility studies had been initiated for small hydropower projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. “Agreements have also been signed for 103 micro-hydropower plants at Chitral and other places in Gilgit-Baltistan to generate 15 megawatts of electricity,” he said, adding that the Punjab government had issued letters of intent to 10 private investors for establishment of small hydropower projects.

“A 26 megawatts hydropower project at Skardu and another four megawatts power plant at Chilas will be established with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank,” he said, adding that a project for a 50 megawatt solar power plant has also been prepared, which would be implemented with assistance from the Asian Development Bank. 

To another question, Ashraf said Pakistan had sought information about the Swalkot Dam and other new projects being constructed by India on River Indus. He said the Swalkot project envisaged construction of a 197-meter-high concrete dam with a storage capacity of 519 million cubic metres of water. staff report