PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Mohammad Azam Khan has directed the officials concerned to take necessary steps in order to operationalise the province’s own transmission and grid company.

He issued the directions while chairing the 17th board meeting of the KP Hydel Fund held here, according to a statement issued from the Chief Minister’s House on Wednesday.

The caretaker chief minister also ordered that all the necessary steps be taken immediately so that the newly-completed hydropower projects started producing electricity. He added that appointment of the chief executive officer of the company should be made as early as possible.

“Establishment of the provincial government’s own transmission and grid company is a good move to improve the power supply system in the province,” the statement quoted the chief minister as saying. He said that the company getting operative on a war footing would substantially reduce the province’s dependence on Wapda infrastructure.

Mr Khan said that public money had been spent on these projects, and their benefits should reach the public without delay. He said that the hydropower stations, once operationalised, would not only help overcome energy crisis but would also increase the revenue generation. He also directed the officials concerned to ensure timely completion of all the ongoing hydropower projects in the province.

Besides reviewing progress on the decisions of the last board meeting, the forum accorded conditional approval to the proposed funding for hydel development projects for the fiscal year 2023-24.

Provincial minister for finance Ahmed Rasool Bangash, adviser to caretaker chief minister on energy and power Dr Sarfaraz Ali Shah, chief secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, additional chief secretary Zubair Asghar Qureshi, administrative secretaries of the departments concerned and other board members attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2023