Peshawar  -  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister, Azam Khan, emphasized the need to boost power generation in KP during a Saturday meeting. He highlighted that completing ongoing power projects would not only add electricity to the national grid but also bolster the province’s income.

Azam Khan chaired the 13th policy board meeting of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO). In attendance were the Caretaker Minister for Energy, Ahmad Jan, Additional Chief Secretary Zubair Asghar Qureshi, Secretary Finance Ayaz Khan, Secretary Law Shagufta Naveed, Secretary Energy Tashfeen Haider, Chief Executive Officer of PEDO, Engr. Naeem Khan, and other board members.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister received the PEDO annual report for 2022-23. He expressed satisfaction with PEDO’s performance and hoped the organization would ensure the timely completion of energy projects, increasing the province’s energy generation capacity and providing affordable electricity.

The meeting approved PEDO’s current budget estimate for 2023-24 and revised budget for 2022-23. It was reported that PEDO’s energy projects generated Rs. 47 billion in revenue. Seven hydropower projects of 162 MW were completed under PEDO, with five power projects in their final stages.

Progress was reported on the 13.5 MW Chappari Charkhel project and the 6.9 MW Mujahideen hydropower project. Work commenced on the 300 MW Balakot Hydropower project with Asian Development Bank support. The 88 MW Gabral Kalam project and 157 MW Madayn hydropower project are set to begin soon.

The meeting highlighted the conversion of the Civil Secretariat, CM House, and CM Secretariat to solar power. Additionally, 8,000 schools, 187 Basic Health Units, and 4,000 masjid converted to solar power. PEDO converted 300 masjids in merged districts to solar power. Phase I completed 356 mini-micro hydropower projects, and Phase II is underway with 291 power projects.