Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Asif on Friday expressed the hope that agreements will be signed next month with China for 10,400 MW projects of electricity generation in Pakistan.
Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, he said a delegation will go to China for this purpose next week.
The minister said these projects to be executed with Chinese assistance include hydle, wind and coal which would generate cheap electricity to overcome energy shortage in the country.
He said it would be a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the energy sector as China would provide loans to the executing companies of these projects. He said NEPRA had rejected the petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on tariff.
He said a lobby created hurdles in the efforts of government to shift power generation projects from furnace oil to coal for generation of cheap electricity.
Khawaja Asif said protesting parties caused billions of loss to the national economy for the political motives. He said such conditions were created wherein the visit of Chinese president to Pakistan was postponed.
He said different electricity projects were at various stages of completion which would help overcome power shortage in the country. To a question, Asif said there was no increase in the tariff after October last year.
He said three private audit institutions had been given the responsibility to investigate into the inflated electricity bills. To another question, the minister said the government was giving 100 per cent subsidy on electricity being generated through oil.
