The 40.8-megawatt Koto Hydropower Project located at Timergara, Lower Dir is almost ready to start adding power to the national grid by the end of 2022.
Secretary Energy & Power, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah visited the site of the project see the construction work first hand. “Heavy machinery has been installed and the project will be completed in the current year,” as per an official statement released after the visit.
“Koto Hydropower is a key project of PEDO, aimed at cheaper, renewable, environment-friendly power,” said CEO PEDO, keeping in mind the present and future requirements of Pakistan, especially rural and remote areas of the province.
China’s Sichuan-Sarwar-Silian-Chongqing Luyang (JV) is the contractor of the project, which will export 205 GWh of energy annually in the future. Construction on the project commenced in February 2015 while the original project completion date was February 2019.
The Koto Hydropower project is highly beneficial due to less unit cost and will help in saving foreign exchange on the import of thermal fuels. Due to the project, annual gas releases of about 71,100 tons of CO2 from an equivalent gas thermal plant and 129560 CO2 from a diesel thermal plant will be avoided.
According to PEDO, the financial benefits of the project over 50 years have been calculated on the proposed Sale Price of Rs.9.63 per kWh. The Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) has been worked out as 12.49 %, which makes the project financially viable.
