Around 2009MW electricity has been added to the national grid since June 2008 while over 1966MW would be available to the consumers by December 2011.
The details were provided by Minister for Water and Power Syed Naveed Qamar in a written reply to a question raised by MQM’s Senator Syed Tahir Mushhadi. Naveed told Senate that 12 projects had been completed during the last three years and six power generating plants, being constructed with help of private sector to generate 1966 MW, would start production by the end of current year.
Another three thermal power plants, with a capacity of 1541MW would be part of the national grid by 2013, he added. Naveed further said that 39 thermal and hydel power projects, a part of the long-term strategy to end energy crisis in the country, were expected to be completed between 2013 and 2017. The minister in-charge of the prime minister’s secretariat while answering a question raised by Haji Ghulam Ali informed the Senate that Pakistan had received a foreign direct investment (FDI) of over ten billion dollars during the last three years.
However, the FDI declined by US$1054.4 million and 54.5 million in 2008-9 and 2009-10 respectively. He said around eight joint ventures had been initiated in construction, telecom, fertilizer, trade, infrastructure development, drug manufacturing and solar energy sectors.