PESHAWAR: As part of efforts to conserve electricity, prevent deforestation and provide cheap and uninterrupted power supply especially to remote population of the province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has completed 356 mini, micro hydel power projects (MHPs) in northern KP out of a total 1, 000.
Being owned and operated by the local communities, these power houses are providing cheap electricity to approximately one million population of far flung and remote areas, said an official of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO).
He said the government was imparting training to the local communities about how to operate and use the power houses and they are also responsible to protect these power houses from any damage or loss.
According to Special Assistant to CM Taj Muhammad Khan these power projects are strengthening the provincial economy, besides promoting tourism, creating scores of job opportunities and business activities in remote areas.
Referring to an official survey, he said that there is a capacity to generate 3000 MW of electricity by hydro power plants in Chitral on which the provincial government was working.
When contacted, PEDO CEO Naeem Khan said that in Phase II, work would start on 672 micro hydel power houses in 21 districts of KP, adding that most of these power plants are built in district Chitral because of having plentiful water resources.
He said the provincial government was planning to build the hydel power houses on canals in southern districts to extend the cheap and uninterrupted power supply facility to people of these areas.
He said KP was currently generating 162 MW of electricity from 7 hydropower plants which was generating about Rs 4.5 billion annually for the province by adding it to the conventional grid.
Recently, he said, Daral Khwar Hydropower Project in Swat has started electricity generation of 36.6 megawatts, which would provide hefty revenue of Rs 1.3 billion annually to the province.
The PEDO CEO said Daral Khwar Hydropower project was constructed in Bahrain area of Swat district with the assistance of Chinese engineers, adding that the electricity generated by the project has been added to the national grid system.
He said that work is in progress under the short term plan, six more projects of 96 MW will be completed by the end of this year, which will bring additional revenue of about Rs 4 billion to the province.
Under the mid-term plan, work is underway on 6 projects of 223 MW which will be completed in 2024 while under the long term plan 9 projects will generate 1899 MW of electricity which will be completed in 2027-28.
He said that in Bagot area of district Abbottabad two 75 kw hydel power houses have started power generation and providing electricity to over 300 families in the area.
Similarly, Naeem said that PEDO in collaboration with Agha Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) has completed 54 micro hydropower houses (MHP) in different areas of upper and lower Chitral.
These MHP plants included 200 KW Garamchishma power house, 75 KW hydropower plant Bor Bono, 100 KW Your Jog, 150 KW Bamburit power plant, 150 KW hydropower plant Rumbor etc.
Project Director Col. Muhammad Shahid told this agency that 54 micro hydropower plants in Chitral were handed over to AKRSP which would generate six megawatts of electricity at a cost of one billion rupees. Eleven of these power plants have now been completed, which would generate 1.7 MW of electricity.
He said that this would reduce the burden on forests and provide pollution free energy to the people of Chitral.
When asked about maintenance and rehabilitation of these power houses, PEDO chief said that a special fund has been created from the tariff so that these houses could be rehabilitated in case of any breakdown or damage.
He further added that PEDO was also working to do insurance of these houses through an insurance scheme.
Mohammad Arshad Abbasi, a local of Bagot village in district Abbottabad appreciating the provincial government said that the installation of the two hydel power project in his area has not only addressed the issue of power supply to the village but also provide business to the local communities and promoted tourism in the area.
Social and political activist in district Chitral Abdul Latif told reporter that the series of hydel power plants that have been started would definitely stop the relentless deforestation and people would use electricity instead of wood, he added.