ISLAMABAD, June 8 (APP): Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif Wednesday said electricity generation would increase to 31,000 Mega Watt (MW) by 2018 after completion of ongoing power projects.
Speaking in the National Assembly, he said there would be no load-shedding in the country by the end of PML-N’s government tenure.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, he said, had given wrong information in his speech regarding the energy generation. He seemed to have not been properly briefed on the issue, he added.
The minister said the demand and supply gap of electricity reduced to 4000 MW from 7000 MW, since his party had come into power.
He said the opposition should criticise the government policies
with some logic. They should better approach courts if they have any evidence of corruption in any power project, he added.
Giving details of the energy projects, the minister said 1320 MW Port Qasim project would be commissioned by 2018, Tarbela-4 by June 2017, Chashma 3 and C-4 Nuclear Power Plant by June 2016, 1320 MW energy project in Sahiwal by December 2017, Engro Thar and other Thar projects by June 2019, Nelum Jehlum Hydro Power Plant and Golan Gol Chitral projects by August 2017. Suki Kinari project would be completed by October 2022 while three projects of LNG would made open cycle in 2017 and then combined cycle in December 2017, he added.
Khawaja Asif said the provinces of Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh were defaulter of Rs 122 billion, 31 billion and Rs 71 billions respectively on account of tube-wells energy consumption.
He said the government was ensuring supply of uninterrupted electricity at the time of Sehr and Iftar in the holy month of Ramzan.
He, however, said the loadshedding was being made in the areas where the electricity pilferage was being noted.
He said recovery of Rs 55 billion was made during last three years due to the efforts of incumbent government.
The minister said the government had planed to establish five grid stations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the provincial government was not providing land for the purpose.
He said the electricity system in Pakistan had significantly improved and opposition should acknowledge it.
