Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that electricity load-shedding situation has improved a lot and 2018 will be the year of elimination of power outages. Addressing a gathering after inaugural ceremony of 40-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Faisalabad, Nawaz Sharif said not only is the government focusing on power generation, it is also trying to ensure provision of cheap electricity to people.
The Prime Minister said the government is not only focusing on mega power and infrastructure projects but also introducing programmes to provide better education and healthcare facilities to people. He said the government plans to construct 40 hospitals across the country and ensure provision of clean drinking water to the people.
Nawaz Sharif said Pakistan has gained the status of emerging economy and it is our utmost effort to provide all possible facilities and incentives to investors. He said economy has been revived over the past three years and efforts are afoot to expand exports. On energy projects, the Prime Minister said the government has launched several coal, LNG, solar and wind-based power projects.
He said that power load-shedding situation has improved a lot and it will further improve next year. He said 2018 will be the year of elimination of power outages. He said the PML (N) has restarted the process of expansion of motorways and high ways in order to enhance connectivity. Nawaz Sharif said these projects have been launched in all the provinces including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which will help farmers and industrialists take their produce to the markets in an efficient manner.
He said institutions such as PIA and Pakistan Railways have been moving forward and further improvements will be made in them. Nawaz Sharif said the government also took the challenge of terrorism head on and major successes have been achieved in this regard. He said terrorists are now picking up soft targets but vowed that these elements will be eliminated. Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a 40MW coal-fired power project in Faisalabad.
Commissioning of this Power Plant is a step towards achieving self-reliance in power generation. Such initiatives by the private sector are extremely encouraging and will prove helpful in overcoming the energy shortage in the country. The government is heavily investing in energy sector to rid the country of energy deficit by 2018. A policy of energy-mix that focuses on diverse sources of energy is being earnestly pursued at the government level.
The 40MW Coal Power Plants at Sitara Chemical Industries Ltd Faisalabad is the largest of its kind in the industrial sector of the city. The plant's boiler is based on circulating fluidized bed combustion technology, having the best automation system. The present government has made tireless efforts to provide a conducive environment for the business community to accelerate economic activities in the country.