Pak will get 1,000 MW electricity: Minister

Lahore: Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has said 1,000MW of electricity will be added to the national grid by way of improvement in generation capacity of the existing power project stations.

The government will ensure implementation of the decision to close down all major commercial centres and shopping plazas at 9.00 pm from June 1 to overcome power project crisis.

He said that these steps were being taken to save power for at least 90 days, and added the menace of load shedding would be bridled by end of August as a contingency plan to cope with the situation had been put in place.

Talking to the office-bearers of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) during his visit on Tuesday, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf hoped that water level would be improved in the reservoirs, which would add 500 MW in addition. He said that next three months would be crucial to resolve power crisis and the nation should bear with the government over the ongoing power project crisis.

The minister, blaming the previous government for the ongoing energy crisis, said no roadmap was given in this regard. The construction of Bhasha Dam would start next year, besides the completion of Mangla raising project, he added.

He termed the shortage of energy one of the biggest challenges the nation at the moment was facing, and said the government alone could not solve the issue of energy shortage and for this purpose, it was in dire need of private sector and the private sector should come forward to ensure the success of government's energy conservation programme. He said the government had decided to put on hold the Kalabagh Dam project for the time being till the development of consensus among the provinces.

He also said the government was taking steps by adopting rationale mechanism to generate more electricity through private sector. He said the government was also pursuing liberal policy to rebuild the investors' confidence and all possible support would be provided to facilitate them.

LCCI President Mohammad Ali Mian demanded of the Federal government to review its decision on Kalabagh Dam as it was not the issue of Punjab alone rather it belonged to the whole country and its people. The acute shortage of water and power had put the very survival of the country at stake. 'Shelving it with one stroke of pen is against the national interests', he added.

LCCI Vice-President Shafqat Saeed Piracha, former president Bashir A Baksh and former senior vice president Sohail Lashari were also present on the occasion. Throwing his full weight behind the government's energy conservation programme, Mian said that the energy to be conserved through this programme should be utilised to keep the industrial wheel on the run as the industrial sector was the biggest victim of power shortage.

He urged the Federal Minister to divert its attention towards line losses, as it would help the government bridge demand-supply gap. Citing the example of China where more than 70 per cent of electricity was being generated through coal and hydro means, he stressed on the Federal Minister to expedite work on alternate energy resources, including coal, wind and solar project.