ISLAMABAD – The government will sanction rental power plants (RPPs) for the production of only 700 megawatts of electricity, instead of the planned 1,950MW, Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Monday.
Talking to reporters at the National Press Club, he said the government had decided not to implement expensive rental power plants. He said several projects had been delayed by adverse travel advisories.
Ashraf said electricity load shedding would significantly reduce as 1,982MW were added during the last two years and 826MW would be added to the national grid this year. The demand for electricity was projected to rise to 150,000 MW by 2030, he said, adding that the government was working on a strategy to meet the increasing demand.
The minister said the government was focusing on generating cost-effective electricity through hydel power projects of Diamer-Basha Dam, Dasoo Dam, Bunji Dam and Neelum-Jhelum and Kohala hydel power projects.
He said the government was making all out efforts to import 750MW electricity from Iran, while a power plant gifted by the UAE government had reached the country and its installation would begin soon. Similarly, the import of 1,000MW of electricity from Central Asian Republics was also under consideration.
