Govt eyeing $12.4 billion investment in power sector

[LRE]

Govt eyeing $12.4 billion investment in power sector

By Zafar Bhutta

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is eying $12.4 billion investment in the power sector to generate 13,335MW power by 2016, it is learnt.

Sources said that government is encouraging the private sector to make investment in the power sector and is hoping that the private sector would invest $12.4 billion by 2016 on the 51 power projects that are under process by Private Power Infrastructure Board (PPIB).

According to the document available with Daily Times, PPIB is planning 51 power projects that would generate 13,335MW power and would attract $12.4 billion investment by 2016.

According to the power projects under process in PPIB, the focus is being laid on the hydel power generation and as many as 20 hydel power projects would be operational that would generate 4,478MW power by 2016. In the said sector, first project would start generating hydel power of 84MW in the year 2011 and three additional power projects would be added to hydel power generation that would generate 332MW by 2012.

In the year 2013, two more hydel power projects of 251MW would be operational. Three hydel projects of 422MW would be operational in the year 2014 and as many as 8 hydel power projects would be operational by 2015 that would generate 2,047MW power. Three hydel power projects of 1,342MW would be operational in the year 2016.

PPIB is processing as many as 14 projects that would be running on oil to be operational by 2016 that would generate 2,919MW power. The electricity being generated by oil use would be dearer as compared to the power generation by other sources including hydel, coal and dedicated gas. Three projects of 575MW would be operational in the year 2009 and six projects of 1,429MW would be generating electricity by 2010.Three projects of 600MW would be operational in 2011 and one project of 150MW would be added by 2012.

The country would be having five power projects of 1050 MW electricity that would be run on dual fuel (oil and gas). One project of 225 MW would be operational in current calendar year whereas two other projects of 450 MW would be added to national power grid. The country would have two more power projects of 375 MW by 2010.

PPIB is processing six projects to add to the national power grid that would generate 1,338MW power and these projects are gas based. Two projects of 429MW would be operational by 2009 and one more project would be generating 205MW power in the year 2010. PPIB is processing three more projects out of which two power projects of 584MW would start generating power by 2011 whereas one project of 120MW would be added to the existing national power grid.

Government is encouraging the utilisation of coal based power plants and six coal based power projects of 3,550 MW would be operational by 2014.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2008_pg5_2