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KP to set up 370 hydel power units in eight districts
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will set up 370 small hydel power generation units in eight districts of the province during the next six to eight months, according to an official.
The province would invest Rs5 billion to install the small hydel power units, involving a total generation capacity of 35 MW. Each of the planned power unit would generate from a few kilowatt electricity to hundreds of kilowatt electricity.
“The government would arrange the funds through budgetary adjustments, utilising its budgetary cushion,” said the official.
A decision to this effect was taken at the maiden meeting of the provincial government’s special committee on energy.
The “Apex Committee on Energy”, which met in Peshawar on Thursday, decided to provide electricity to areas not connected with the national grid.
The provincial government, said the official, had fiscal space of around Rs15 billion in its current budget, making it possible for it to arrange funds for implementing the decision. “The available fiscal space is the result of fudging of figures that the government did like its predecessors,” said the official, justifying the manipulative budgeting.
Arranging funds, added the official, would not be a problem for the provincial government because its annual development programme had suffered slow execution during the first six months of the fiscal, leaving the government with sufficient funds to divert to other programmes.
The energy and power department, according to the official, has identified sites suitable for installing small units on rivers, canals, watercourses, rivers, and streams in the upper regions of the province.
The establishment of power generation units would benefit an estimated 800,000 households in eight districts, including Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir, and others.
The committee headed by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak decided to invest in the power sector with an aim to spur economic growth, create jobs, benefit rural communities, and open up areas with tremendous tourism potential.
The government plans to run the units on the model already implemented successfully by non-governmental organisations, including Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and Sarhad Rural Support Programme.
“The communities would be involved to manage, operate, and maintain the power generation units,” said the official, adding that AKRSP and SRSP might also be involved to benefit from their experience.
Another official said the Apex Committee on Energy, which also includes among its members Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s member of the National Assembly from Islamabad, Asad Omar, and senior minister Sirajul Haq, had some tense moments during its over four hours long sitting.
“The finance department and the energy and power department differed on matters relating to the provincial government budget,” said the official.
According to sources, the incumbent secretary finance, who assumed the charge a few months ago, objected to the budget estimates reflected in the current financial year’s budget in June last year when the sitting secretary energy and power was the secretary finance department.
The sitting finance secretary, said an official, apprised the meeting that the province had recorded a whopping revenue shortfall during the first six months of current fiscal, undermining the budgetary plans.
KP to set up 370 hydel power units in eight districts - DAWN.COM
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will set up 370 small hydel power generation units in eight districts of the province during the next six to eight months, according to an official.
The province would invest Rs5 billion to install the small hydel power units, involving a total generation capacity of 35 MW. Each of the planned power unit would generate from a few kilowatt electricity to hundreds of kilowatt electricity.
“The government would arrange the funds through budgetary adjustments, utilising its budgetary cushion,” said the official.
A decision to this effect was taken at the maiden meeting of the provincial government’s special committee on energy.
The “Apex Committee on Energy”, which met in Peshawar on Thursday, decided to provide electricity to areas not connected with the national grid.
The provincial government, said the official, had fiscal space of around Rs15 billion in its current budget, making it possible for it to arrange funds for implementing the decision. “The available fiscal space is the result of fudging of figures that the government did like its predecessors,” said the official, justifying the manipulative budgeting.
Arranging funds, added the official, would not be a problem for the provincial government because its annual development programme had suffered slow execution during the first six months of the fiscal, leaving the government with sufficient funds to divert to other programmes.
The energy and power department, according to the official, has identified sites suitable for installing small units on rivers, canals, watercourses, rivers, and streams in the upper regions of the province.
The establishment of power generation units would benefit an estimated 800,000 households in eight districts, including Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Dir, and others.
The committee headed by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak decided to invest in the power sector with an aim to spur economic growth, create jobs, benefit rural communities, and open up areas with tremendous tourism potential.
The government plans to run the units on the model already implemented successfully by non-governmental organisations, including Aga Khan Rural Support Programme and Sarhad Rural Support Programme.
“The communities would be involved to manage, operate, and maintain the power generation units,” said the official, adding that AKRSP and SRSP might also be involved to benefit from their experience.
Another official said the Apex Committee on Energy, which also includes among its members Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s member of the National Assembly from Islamabad, Asad Omar, and senior minister Sirajul Haq, had some tense moments during its over four hours long sitting.
“The finance department and the energy and power department differed on matters relating to the provincial government budget,” said the official.
According to sources, the incumbent secretary finance, who assumed the charge a few months ago, objected to the budget estimates reflected in the current financial year’s budget in June last year when the sitting secretary energy and power was the secretary finance department.
The sitting finance secretary, said an official, apprised the meeting that the province had recorded a whopping revenue shortfall during the first six months of current fiscal, undermining the budgetary plans.
KP to set up 370 hydel power units in eight districts - DAWN.COM
