GILGIT, June 2: A team of Chinese engineers will examine the 18 megawatt (MW) Naltar hydroelectric power plant before its inauguration by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Project manager Ghulam Mahdi told Dawn that the project, completed in association with Chinese engineers, is ready to be commissioned within days but will first be examined by experts.

Completed in three years at a cost of $19 million, the project will meet the area’s electricity needs for three years since the demand will increase as population grows.

Therefore, said Mr Mahdi, an additional 14.1MW hydel project has been proposed on the same riverhead, which would cost $26.8 million.

A financial grant has been sought in this regard from the government of Japan. Official sources said the Pakistan government had sanctioned Rs120.376 million for the engineering design and preparation of tenders for the 80MW Phandar hydropower project, 170kms west of Gilgit.

The project would provide electricity to parts of Ghizar district, Gilgit and Diamer of the Northern Areas.

According to the sources, 122 hydropower schemes with a total capacity of 773MW are being planned on tributaries of the River Indus in the Northern Areas.

Most of these have less than 5MW capacity, while 17 potential sites have been selected for 10MW projects.

Other than the Phandar project, the most promising projects are a 32MW plant at Naltar, a 28MW project at Basho and a 33MW plant at Harpo.

Reportedly, feasibilities for these projects are being prepared in collaboration with a German company GTZ.