PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on Sunday ordered completion of feasibility study for establishment of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Power Distribution Company (KPPDC) within six months.

He also ordered quarters concerned to finalise the draft of Provincial Energy and Power Regulatory Authority (Pepra) Act.

He directed KP Transmission and Grid System Company to ensure timely and quality completion of ongoing transmission line projects.

Chairing a meeting to review progress on power transmission and distribution matters here, Mr Afridi said that the electricity, generated through provincial hydropower projects, would be supplied to industries at subsidised rates to promote industrial growth, strengthen economic stability and create employment opportunities across the province.

According to a statement, the chief minister stressed the need for timely execution of projects. He said that provincial government would provide all the required resources to ensure timely completion of the project.

The participants of the meeting reviewed progress on power transmission infrastructure and hydropower projects.

They were informed that completion of ongoing hydropower projects over the next four years was expected to add around 800 megawatts of electricity to the system.

The meeting was informed that a 120-kilometre long transmission line was being laid from Matiltan power house to Chakdara grid station. Work is also under way on Lot One, a 40-kilometer section of the project.

The meeting also informed that the 36 megawatts Daral Khwar hydropower project was made operational, while seven other schemes with a combined capacity of 224 megawatts were currently fully functional.

The 84 megawatts Gorkin-Matiltan hydropower project has achieved 87 per cent physical progress and will be completed by December 2026. The 95 megawatts Ghabral-Kalam and 215 megawatts Madyan hydropower projects are expected to be completed in 2027.

On the occasion, the chief minister said that funds being utilised was public money and that negligence or lack of seriousness would not be tolerated.

On June 19, 2025, during the budget session of provincial assembly, chief minister’s adviser on finance Muzammil Aslam had said that provincial government had started working on laying down of a power transmission line in the province and had planned to establish a provincial electric power regulatory authority just like National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

Mr Aslam had said that provincial government would set its own tariff for power though federal government didn’t want it to have its own power regulator.

He had asked opposition benches to support treasury benches on the matter.

KP had filed an application with Nepra for issuance of licence for the transmission and grid company formed by the province.

In 2021, adviser to chief minister for energy and power Himayatullah Khan told Dawn that Nepra had granted KP the licence for setting up a company to lay power transmission lines and put up grid stations to supply electricity produced by units located across the province.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2026