THE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched a 10-year hydro-power action plan under which several projects would be executed in the province to generate 2100 megawatts of electricity.

Under the action plan 2011-2025, the Sarhad Hydro-Development Organisation (Shydo) would initiate eight hydro projects with a capacity of 628MW. These are Matiltan HPP, Swat, 84MW; Sharmai Dir 115MW; Koto Dir 31MW; Karora Kohistan 10MW; Jabori Mansehra eight MW; Shushai-Zhendoli Chitral 144MW; Shogo Sin Chitral 132 MW and Lawi Chitral 69MW.

KP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti recently inaugurated the Matiltan and Daral Khwar hydro power projects (HPPs) in Swat with 84 and 36.5MW capacity each.

The Matiltan power station would have 6km long tunnel and would be completed in next five years while the Daral Khwar HPP at a cost of Rs7bn was expected to be ready in next three years. The later will be funded through Hydro Development Fund (HDF) and ADP in a ratio of 90:10 respectively.

According to official documents, Shydo has also started feasibility study of another 13 projects with a capacity of 1322MW to be completed in next two to three years at a cost of Rs5 billion.

Shydo is currently operating four projects in the province –one each in Malakand and Swabi districts and two in Chitral district.

The installed capacity of these projects is 105MW with an annual revenue generation capacity of over Rs2bn to 3bn.

A loan agreement has been signed with the Asian Development Bank for the development of hydro power projects at a cost of Rs60bn. Besides funding some projects under the same loan, Shydo has also financed feasibility studies of three projects of 48MW in Koto HPP Dir Lower, Shangla and Mansehra. Construction of these plants would start this year.

Shydo has also completed pre-feasibility studies of 10 sites in various districts of the province and these sites will be offered to private sector for development.

Chief officer of the Planning and Development Department Usman Gul said energy and power sector were priority sectors of the KP government. “We have entered the implementation stage and now the infrastructure will be developed in these areas.

However, these are long-term projects which will bear fruit in 4-5 years,” he said.

Though the rest of Malakand division accounts for most of the planned hydro power projects, Swat has very little share in the programme. Swat has great potential for run of the river projects.

According to the Shydo official, the government was spending 50 per cent of the funds in Malakand Dvision. “Almost 13 out of 15 ongoing projects and Rs600mn of Rs1.137bn total are for Malakand. Of the total cost of Rs23bn, the total project cost in case of Malakand division comes to around Rs16bn,” he added.

The provincial government from this fiscal year has doubled the royalty for power generating areas to 10 per cent of the net hydro profits receivable from Wapda/federal government from five per cent which would be spent on development in the areas.

The said share will be over and above the districts’ and provincial ADP.