Pakistan has 40,000 MW hydel power generation potential to meet future requirements, sources said. They said the government was serious to take up small power projects in various parts of the country with community participation. According to further details, various hydel projects were being planned by the private sector and most of them would be located on run of rivers.
They said the small projects would provide electricity to the area in its vicinity through its own resources without involving national grid. The link through national grid was very costly and not easy in most parts of the country, they maintained.
It may be pointed out the government had already targeted to provide electricity facility to 80 percent population of the country by 2015. Currently, the ratio was less than 50 percent, the sources said.
According to the Power Policy 2002, it may be recalled the provinces had been allowed to set up power projects, up to 50 MW, in their province without any approval of the federal government.