PESHAWAR: The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation’s revenue surged from Rs1.5 billion in financial year 2018-19 to Rs3.4 billion in 2019-20, said officials on Wednesday.

They told Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during a progressive review meeting of the energy and power department that the Pedo had significantly increased its revenue during the last two years.

The officials said the Pedo’s revenue was Rs1.57 billion in 2018-19 and jumped to Rs3.45 billion in the next fiscal.

They said additional revenue was generated by different hydropower projects in the province.

The officials said the use of solar power saved 44,21,663kWh energy annually, which led to a saving of Rs78 million in lieu of electricity bills.

CM orders completion of projects within stipulated time

They said 17 megawatts Ranolia, 2.60MW Machai and 36.6MW Dral Khwar hydropower projects were completed in the last two years at a cost of Rs14 billion and that they were expected to generate annual revenue of Rs2 billion for the province.

The officials also said feasibility studies of 495MW Kari power project in Chitral and Gabral-Kalam power project in Swat had been completed.

They said the government took the initiative of introducing the wheeling regime model for cheap and uninterrupted electric supply to industrial units for their development and revival of sick industrial units in the province.

The officials said the wheeling of electricity from Pehur power project to industrial units had been started, while power purchase agreements for 17MW Ranolia and 36.6MW Dral Khwar had been signed with the Central Power Purchasing Agency.

They said the KP Transmission and Grid Company would be functional very soon to release electricity from powerhouses to national grids or industrial zones in the province.

The officials said under the public-private partnership model introduced for fast-track execution of hydropower projects, work was in progress on 896MW Lower Supatgah, 188MW Naran and 96MW Butta Kundi projects.

They said solarisation of the Chief Minister’s Secretariat and House, civil secretariat, 100 villages in central and southern districts, 300 mosques in merged tribal areas and 100 villages in northern districts had been completed, while solar energy would be provided to 4,000 more mosques in the province.

The officials said mini grid stations with 100KW power generating capacity would be put up in merged tribal areas at the estimated cost of Rs869 million.

They said more than 1,000 direct jobs had been created through various energy projects in the last two years.

The chief minister directed the relevant officials to ensure thecompletion of power projects within the stipulated time and physical progress on the new development schemes in line with the timelines to benefit the residents.

He said the provincial government was taking result-oriented steps for the effective use of the province’s energy potential to overcome power crisis and create the maximum possible employment opportunities for the people of the province.

Adviser to the chief minister Himayatullah Khan, energy and power secretary, Pedo chief executive officer and other officials attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, August 27th, 2020