PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) on Monday signed an agreement for the supply of 18 megawatts cheap electricity from the Pehur hydropower project to industrial consumers in the province.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan attended the agreement-signing ceremony, which took place at the Chief Minister’s House.

Adviser to the chief minister on energy and power Himayatullah Khan, energy and power secretary Zubair Khan, Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation chief executive Mohammad Naeem Khan and Pesco chief Dr Amjad Ali Khan were also present on the occasion.

A statement issued here said the Pesco would supply electricity from the Pehur project to five industrial units in the province at the rate of Rs10 per unit.

CM says government taking steps for industrialisation

The chief minister said his government was taking practical steps to promote industrialisation and attract investors and the signing of the wheeling agreement was an achievement in that respect.

He said 18MW electricity from Pehur hydropower project would be provided to Gadoon Textile Mills Limited, Cherat Packaging, AG Textile, Premier Chip Board Industries and Cherat Cement Company at cheaper rate to revive industries, attract investors and promote industrialisation in the province.

The chief minister said the wheeling regime would generate Rs305 million revenue annually and generate 3,000 direct jobs.

He said the successful policies of the government had led to the inclusion of 74MW of electricity from hydel power stations in the province in the national grid, which would generate Rs1.9 billion revenue every year.

Mr Mahmood said the government was committed to exploiting the province’s hydel potential to generate cheap electricity, which would address power shortages throughout the country and attract investors to the province and thus, increasing revenue generation for the province.

He said the provincial government was attracting investors through friendly policies, whereas full-fledge implementation of the energy and power action plan was being carried out.

The chief minister added that under the action plan, work on various hydel power projects had been completed, while work was under way on numerous small, medium and large hydel power projects.

He said the wheeling model for the supply of cheap electricity to industrial consumers and initiation of public-private partnership showed the government’s commitment to increasing the province’s revenue generation through rapid industrialisation and strengthening of communication networks.

Adviser to the chief minister on energy and power Himayatullah Khan, who was also in attendance, said the government had planned four energy projects in Balakot, Barikot, Patral Sheringal and Gabral Kalam areas on which construction work was expected to begin during the current fiscal year and will be completed in 2025.

“Once completed, the projects will generate Rs.17.860 billion revenue each year,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2020