Pakistan at the moment is looking for the low cost energy availability for residential and industrial sector and government is struggling hard to cope the situation of energy deficiency using all available resources. In this quest, an important meeting of the Provincial Cabinet was held in the chair of Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif which accorded approval to the setting up of new 1200 megawatt gas based power plant in the province.
In his address to the Provincial Cabinet, Shahbaz Sharif said the Punjab government has decided to set up a new gas power plant of 1200 megawatt on its own. This project has been envisaged keeping in view the energy needs of the country, as well as the energy challenges of the future. A suitable piece of land would be identified near to the southern Punjab districts of Rahim Yar Khan or Muzaffargarh for the establishment of electricity producing project from the gas. Like all other development projects, this energy project will also be completed speedily by working day and night on it. This project would become a source of development of Pakistan, especially the Punjab, as well as prosperity of the people. The electricity produced by the gas power project would be environment-friendly as well as cheap. He said that the energy projects are harbinger of speedy development of the country and prosperity; therefore, the PML-N government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been striving hard for the fast-track completion of energy projects, and quite a number of projects are in the final phase of their completion.
He said that 717 megawatt electricity is being included in the national grid through 1180 megawatt Bhikhi Power Plant. Meanwhile, additional 400 megawatt electricity would be produced in November, December from this power plant. Similarly, the 1320 megawatt Sahiwal Coal Power Project started producing electricity from May 20 in the first phase and this project is providing 660 megawatt electricity to the national grid in the first phase. The second phase of this project would be completed at the end of June. He pointed out that the Sahiwal Coal Power Project would break record of speedy completion, not only in the whole of the world, but that of China, as well.
In spite of all the efforts by the government to produce electricity from various resources, experts are of the view that the only long term solution lies in the construction of kalabagh dam, the only dam which can be built in shorter time span with maximum energy availability and even increasing the life of existing water reservoirs.
