PPIB plans rental power projects

Islamabad: The Private Power and Infrastructure Board will invite investors to set up additional rental power projects of 500MW on fast track basis next week. It was informed during the 79th meeting of the Board of PPIB. Water and Power Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf chaired the meeting.

Sources privy to the meeting revealed that the PPIB is working out setting up of additional 500MW rental power projects to bridge power shortfall. The PPIB will solicit additional rental power projects on fast track basis through press in the coming week.

It was decided during the meeting that the PPIB should be given a statutory status and after due inputs of concerned ministries, a summary should be moved for an Act of parliament to provide such status to the PPIB. The PPIB is currently working under an executive order.

The meeting was informed that a total of 2,851MW would be added to the system by next year, which by subsequent additions into the system each year will accumulate to around 9,500MW in the next five years through the private sector. The minister said the government is committed to achieving its targets for inducting more power into the national grid and get rid of the menace of load shedding by the next year.

The minister congratulated that the 165MW Attock Gen Power Project has already been synchronised which will shortly be inaugurated by the President of Pakistan. The power plant is due to start supplying power to the system very soon. The Managing Director of PPIB briefed the Board that the rental power projects being processed by the PPIB are showing good progress and their contracts have been concluded.

He conveyed to the Board that while the projects are being processed on a fast track basis, at the same time an exercise is being carried out to establish realistic power demand supply scenario for all future projects. Raja Parvez Ashraf lauded the efforts of the PPIB team for attracting the investor community for establishing power plants and processing project proposals.

The meeting was attended by Water and Power Secretary Ismail Qureshi, Planning Commission Secretary Suhail Safdar, Petroleum and Natural Resources Additional Secretary G A Sabri and PPIB Managing Director Fayyaz Elahi, besides other senior government officials and private members of the Board.