Government planning to generate 50,000MW energy

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said his government has made a 25-year long-term plan to generate 50,000MW power to end the energy crisis in the country and meet Pakistan’s future needs.
Addressing a gathering here after attending a briefing of the ambitious Rs 60 billion worth Pakistan Power Park to generate 660MW electricity at Gadani, the PM said a range of measures were being taken to address the power crisis in the country.
The PM termed it a critical project for Pakistan and said it would also help generate employment for the people of Sindh and Balochistan. He said a similar Power Park need to be set up at Thar that has huge reservoirs of coal.
He said the government has settled the Rs 480 billion circular debt issue, however expressed the apprehension that it could rise again, unless difficult decisions were not taken.
He said the country was able to generate 1700MW of additional power after this payment and managed to generate record 16,170MW of electricity, the shortfall had declined to 3000MW while the demand was 19,000MW.
The PM was informed that the Power Park project will comprise 8 projects of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and generate 660MW. The project will also have a dedicated jetty to provide access to ships for a LNG terminal.
The PM said the future plans for power generation include construction of plants that run on coal and can produce 5200MW of power. Besides, he said gas-powered plants will also be setup to meet the growing energy needs.
He said the Neelum Jhelum hydropower project will also produce 950MW power. He regretted that due to inefficiency and poor policies in the past, the cost of the project had escalated from Rs 45 billion to Rs 250 billion, which was regrettable.
Referring to the Kashgar-Gawadar Trade Corridor between Pakistan and China, the Prime Minister said small industrial zones will be set up all along the route that may attract investment from China, as the cost of production in Pakistan was still low.
He said the trade corridor will help generate huge business opportunities for the people of Pakistan as they have access to over 3 billion people of the region and the country occupies a geo-strategic location.
He said the construction of a modern six-lane motorway will link Karachi with Lahore and aid swifter and cheaper transportation of goods.
Later, to questions, Nawaz dismissed the rumours of a Governor rule in Sindh. He said the country was facing numerous problems and it was vital that all stakeholders stand together to confront the challenges.
The PM said his government was committed to serve the masses and vowed that it would not hide anything from the people of Pakistan.
The chief ministers of Sindh and Balochistan accompanied the PM.