By Hifsa Raja

ISLAMABAD, August 2 (INP-WealthPK): Although the hydropower plant technology has been developed in Pakistan, competent planning and designing are still required to meet the growing need of renewable and sustainable energy.

Talking to WealthPK, the PEC resource person Engr Khurram Saleem, who is also an Assistant Professor of Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology, said that although Pakistan has hydropower technology, but still, it is facing electricity shortage.

“This is due to insufficient infrastructure, bad management, ineffective distribution networks, and electricity theft. To get out of this situation, we must devote our efforts towards energy saving in order to meet the electricity demand. Some of the energy demand can be met by constructing micro hydropower plants,” he said.

Khurram said that Pakistan desires transition to renewable and sustainable energy, and is attempting to reduce its reliance on coal, oil, and gas from the current 87% to approximately 60% by 2025. He said Pakistan must devise a strategy to overcome obstacles in achieving this target.

He said micro hydropower projects (MHPs) are altering life in mountainous areas of Pakistan.

“If we use hydro energy, we must examine the difficulties of micro hydropower plants. The biggest problem is that throughout the winter, when water flow slows down, so does electricity production. Therefore, we must store water for winter,” he said.

Khurram said the MHPs are not a one-time investment and regular maintenance is required. He said Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) is collaborating with China on a number of hydropower projects.

According to Saifullah, a Superintendent at PEDO, there is investment potential for seven hydropower projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to him, six of the seven projects have completed feasibility studies.

The hydropower projects whose feasibility has been completed are Muigram-Shaghore HPP Chitral (64MW), Istaro-Booni HPP Chitral (72MW), Toren More Kari HPP Chitral (350MW), Jameshill Toren More HPP Chitral (260MW), Gahrit-Swir Lasht HPP Chitral (377MW) and Kari-Mushkur HPP Chitral (446MW). The estimated cost for all of these projects is around $5,386 million. Torcamp-Guddubar HPP Chitral is the project whose feasibility report is still not completed. This project has capacity of 409MW and an estimated cost of $1534 million. Saifullah told WealthPK that PEDO has included these projects on the list of investment opportunities under CPEC.

Saifullah said China is a leader in HPPs. China Three Gorge South Asian Investment Limited is the parent company of Karot Power Company Limited (KPCL), which received an award from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on February 19, 2022 for its CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) granted PEDO an award on June 18, 2022.

“An excellence award has been awarded to PEDO from the ADB on a solar energy project. The project is in final stages,” he said.

In this regard, Secretary of Energy and Power Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah said that the KP government has reached a new level of success in development projects under the best approach and most accommodating policy. It will contribute to the strengthening of the economy and the creation of new jobs.

Credits: Independent News Pakistan—Wealthpk