ISLAMABAD, Aug 22: A five-member team of experts will visit Tehran next week to sign an agreement for importing about 100 MW of electricity from Iran for Gwadar at 6.25 cents per unit and hold talks on importing another 1,000 MW.

The team comprising senior officials of the ministries of finance, economic affairs and water and power, besides representatives of the Wapda and the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), would finalise technical details of about 100 kms of transmission line and sign an agreement for importing 100 MW of electricity at a tariff of 6.25 cents per unit.

A decision regarding it was taken at a meeting presided over by Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi. An official statement said the minister directed the authorised functionaries to remove all bottlenecks for commissioning of the project as early as possible.

He said the import of cheap electricity from Iran to Balochistan would benefit both countries.

He said the import of 1,000 MW of electricity from Central Asian states was also being actively pursued and presently a team was discussing the modalities at a Montreal meeting in which Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan were participating.

The meeting was informed that presently 39 MG of electricity was being imported from Iran to meet the demand of South-West Balochistan comprising Turbat, Gwadar and Panjgoor districts and border towns of Mashkhail and Taftan.

Considering rapid development in the Gwadar area, another contract with TAVANIR of Iran would be signed for importing 100 MW for the Gwadar area.

The meeting was further informed that during the Pak-Iran joint economic commission in Islamabad, Wapda and TAVANIR agreed on a tariff at 6.25 cents/kw for this import, which has since been approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet.

The meeting also discussed the proposal of laying a 220-KV transmission line of 55 km inside Pakistan for which financial assistance would be provided by the Iranian government. The Iranian Company will bear the cost of the transmission Line in Iran to provide power to Pakistan at its border.

The minister stressed the need to expedite the efforts for early completion of the project for importing cheaper electricity from Iran.

The meeting also discussed importing 1,000 MW power from Iran for which an MoU had already been signed by the two countries in April 2007.

The team will also discuss various aspects of the project with their counterparts in Iran.