Punjab Irrigation Department has selected 317 locations at various canals and barrages for the construction of small hydraulic power stations in order to overcome the current electricity crisis in the province. Punjab Senior Minister and Minister for Irrigation, Raja Riaz Ahmad, disclosed this while presiding over a departmental meeting held here on Saturday.
Senior Minister said that small hydraulic power stations would have the capacity of generating almost 600 MW electricity. In order to materialise these projects, he said, Punjab Power Development Board (PPDB) has been constituted in collaboration with public sector, adding that the board has also released letters of interest (LoI) to 10 qualified sponsors for the construction of power stations on ten solicited sites.
Raja Riaz Ahmad further said that the special committee, headed by him constituted under the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, has decided to revamp and extend the PDB in order to expedite the process of proposed power stations.
He further said that private sector can take over these projects either exclusively or as a joint venture with public sector, the minister maintained. Moreover, he said that provincial government is also planning to initiate its work on coal power plants at Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and Chakwal districts for the purpose of power generation.
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