Pak generated 6,463 MW power in 60 years

Lahore: Pakistan has added just 6,463 MW of hydel generation power over the last 60 years as against 41,000 MW power of estimated hydropower potential available in the country, experts here said.

According to these experts, the power growth rate on an average is about eight percent per annum and we ought to add at least 2,000 MW of power every year, which cannot be achieved due to lack of sincere and wise approach of the successive governments, plunging the country into darkness.

The experts are of the view that the government should realise that without affordable energy sector, there can be no progress in the country. Under vision 2025, only 769 MW of power generation is planned to be added by the year 2010, but the projects under the vision 2025 are also not running according to schedule and have been delayed from two to four years.

They said since the management had always been based on ad hocism in absence of an effective system, therefore, no major breakthrough was achieved in spite of big claims over the last one decade, as most of the projects were confined to pre-feasibility or feasibility studies.

'Unfortunately, our technocrats have mixed the priorities of power generation from 'big multi-purpose water reservoir dams' with 'run of the river' generation.

'The main purpose of former is irrigation and the power generation is its by-product, while the later is purely used for power generation, and as such their priorities need to be separately identified based on power requirement,' they said. They further said: 'We have given priority to Kalabagh, Basha and Akhori Dams, which became hostage to political issues, ignoring run of the river hydle generation projects.

'Power generation from 'run of river' projects is low cost and its completion schedule is short as compared to big water reservoir dams, based on 'run of the river. 'Hydel projects, a substantial power generation capacity of about 15,000 MW in Northern Areas is available, which should be given priority and completed within the next four to five years,' they added.

They gave a brief account of major hydropower generation available on the 'run of river,' which shows that the Pattan (Indus) has generation capacity of 2,800 MW, Thahkot 1 and 11 (Indus) of 2,500 MW, Dasu (Indus) of 3,700 MW, Bunji (Indus) of 5,400 MW, Munda (Swat) of 740 MW, Suki Kinari (Kunhar) of 650 MW, Azad Pattan, Karot, Mahl (on Jhelum) of 700 MW, Naran Patrind (Kunqar) of 350 MW, Naleem-Jehlum of 970 MW and Kohala of 860 MW.

They said that total generation capacity of all these sites stood at 19570 MW. According to field experts, the government should change the priorities and projects, with shorter implementation period and easier to construct, should be taken up first.

Under hydel projects, they said, Pattan, Thahkot and Dasu should be given priority, and added that Basha was not a priority project, as its cost, along with approach highway, would be more than 15 billion dollars spread over a period of 10 to 12 years. In its place, they stressed, Kalabagh Dam and Akhori Dam should be given priority, which could be constructed in half the time and cost.