As government issued letter of interest (LoI) for setting up a 660MW coal power project in Thar to be completed by December 2015, the Water and Power Minister, Khwaja Mohammad Asif, said yesterday that people should be prepared for enhanced electricity shortfall for almost five weeks after Dec 22.
Talking to journalists at the signing ceremony of LoI for Thar project, the minister said there would be higher electricity shortage, beginning on Dec 22 because of decline in hydropower production due to canal closure.
He said that the Thar Coal Field was expected to become energy capital of Pakistan in the next few years for which first power plant had been issued the LoI on Thursday.
He said it was the national priority of the government to develop Thar coal and utilise it on commercial basis.
as it is a famine-hit area, Thar after completion of the power projects would become the energy capital and drought would become a ‘horrible dream’ of the past.
The minister further elaborated said the government had been able to bring down the duration of load-shedding to three-four hours and steps were now being taken to reduce transmission and distribution losses. Recovery has been improved and circular debt issue was being resolved.
