LAHORE, May 22: In order to bridge a gap between generation and consumption, the federal government has approved several power generation projects to make available additional 2,200MW electricity to the national grid within one year.

Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) Managing Director Fazal Ahmad Khan said this while addressing the third senior course delegation of the National Management College at the Wapda House here on Thursday.

The MD said all resources were being tapped to enhance power generation capacity in the country.

He informed the delegation that contracts for setting up of 425MW Nandipur and 525MW Chichoki Mallian thermal power projects had already been signed.

Mr Khan said the two projects, being executed in the public sector, were expected to be completed in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Besides, 1,800MW electricity would also be added to the national grid through the private sector in 2008-10, he said.

Giving a review of the power sector performance, he said that system losses of Pepco were reduced to 20.6 per cent till the end of April during the current fiscal year. The number of Pepco consumers is likely to reach 18 million by the end of June 2008. The MD said Wapda/Pepco receivables had swelled to Rs187.753 billion, including a sum of Rs72.060 billion owed by FATA and Rs38.775 billion by KESC.

Briefing the delegation about the hydropower and water sectors, General Manager (Technical Services) Dr Izharul Haq said Pakistan had the potential of generating more than 54,000MW low-cost hydropower.

The delegation was told that per capita water availability in the country had reduced to an alarming figure of 1,070 cubic metre in 2007.

It was told that the country had already lost the storage capacity equivalent to 5.13maf due to silting in the reservoirs of Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma.