The largest hydroelectric project in the history of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the 496 megawatt Spat Wah Hydropower Project, will be completed in five years in partnership between the provincial government and a South Korean company. This was noted in a briefing given to a delegation of investors led by Ahn Ho Young, a representative of South Korean engineering and construction company LOTTE. Speaking on the occasion, Energy and Power Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nisar Ahmad Khan said a significant portion of the province's energy sector's growth will come from international investment.

 He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has abundant hydropower resources. Utilizing hydropower resources can help the country overcome its present energy problem while also generating billions of rupees in revenue for the province each year, he added. The problems faced by the Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB), including the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan (IGCEP) and the National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), were also discussed during the meeting. The removal of the barriers to awarding generation licences for the project and other problems with the federal government were also topics of discussion. 

To finally resolve the problems, the meeting suggested that they be brought before the highest forums. Secretary of Energy Nisar Ahmad Khan and Provincial Energy Development Orgnaization (PEDO) Chief Executive Engineer Naeem Khan assured the delegation that they would do their best to solve the problems for the development of the province. The Spat Wah Hydropower Project is being constructed with the cooperation of KHNP, a government-owned company of South Korea, and the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk