Release of more water from dams: over 1300 megawatts power generation to help end crisis: minister

With the release of more water from Mangla and Tarbela dams after January 25, over 1300 megawatt power generation would help end the current power crisis to some extent, said Tariq Hameed, caretaker Federal Minister for Water and Power here on Wednesday.
"This additional release from the dams will help meet the shortage partially but we have to build big water reservoir before 2016 to address the power shortage permanently", the minister said while talking to journalists after inaugurating 132-KV grid station in Satellite Town, here.
Tariq Hameed stressed the need of construction of big water reservoirs before 2016 saying that without construction of five announced dams, the industrial and agriculture sector would not flourish and sustain. He said that government was making efforts to make sure that all five dams would be constructed before 2016.
He said that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) were setting up small power projects but it is imperative to build hydel power projects in the country to meet the future power requirements.
Responding to a question, he said that indecisive attitude of the past governments was main cause of power crisis in the country as they had failed to initiate any big power project. To another question about gas shortage, the minister said that the government has signed agreement of gas supply with Iran to meet the gas shortage, but this project would take another one year.
The minister recalled that on January 1, three towers of Hubco power plant were destroyed by subversive activities, which resulted in 900 megawatts power shortfall. However, he added the towers were rebuilt within ten days and now after few more days Hubco would start operation.
He also held coldwave responsible for the crisis saying that acute cold weather had reduced the gas pressure which was one of the reasons in declining the power generation. He said that various gas power generation plants have stopped operation due to shortage in gas, which resulted in shortage of 1500-megawatt electricity.
The minister said that decline in power generation during January is causing power shortage in the country because during the month cleansing of water channels is taken into hand in Sindh and Punjab. He said that "Bhal Safai" would end on January 25 and enhance the power generation and water would be released from two big dams.
Earlier, addressing the ceremony, the minister thanked the government of Punjab for provision of land for constructing grid station saying that this grid would decrease the load on the feeders of Islamabad from which power would be supplied to more areas.
In his welcome address, Chief Executive of the Islamabad Electricity Supply company (IESCO) Shahbaz Azam said that this grid station was 85th in region and was constructed at the cost of Rs 215.7 million. Rupees 127.5 million was the construction cost of the grid station while Rs 24 million was the cost of laying transmission line, he added.