KP Secretary Energy Agrees On Cost To Restore Power Plant Project

Nisar Ahmad Khan, Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy and Power, has agreed on the estimated cost of restoring the flood-damaged power plant of the 36.6 megawatt Daral Khawar Hydropower Project.

According to a press release issued here on Sunday, the Secretary of Energy and Power Nisar Ahmad Khan and PEDO Chief Executive Engineer Naeem Khan, along with a team of expert engineers working on the project, paid an emergency visit to the Daral Khwar powerhouse Swat despite severe cold and heavy snowfall.

During the briefing, the Secretary of Energy and Power was informed that the Daral Khwar power plant, which was overseen by PEDO, was successfully completed in 2021 by a team of Chinese and local engineers. The project generates Rs. 1.30 billion in revenue for the province each year, but the power plant has been severely damaged by the recent catastrophic floods.

Secretary of Energy Nisar Ahmad Khan thoroughly inspected the spillway, sand trap, power channel, switch yard, and other parts of the flood-damaged powerhouse and issued necessary instructions to CEO PEDO Naeem Khan regarding the powerhouse's repair.

He also praised the PEDO Chief Engineers and their teams for participating in the maintenance and safety works by staying at the project site for a month straight to ensure the immediate protection of the destroyed power plant.

Later, during a high-level meeting, the Secretary of Energy rejected the report issued by the inspection team that reviewed the costs of the damages at the Daral Khwar power plant and issued orders invalidating the inspection team.

He claimed that the team was made up of non-technical individuals who incorrectly denied expenditures due to misunderstanding certain matters due to ignorance. He gave the order to reconstitute the institution's inspection team.

The Secretary also expressed satisfaction with the costs incurred by the PEDO engineers for the restoration of the power house in PC-1 and stated that the site of the damaged power house has been thoroughly inspected along with the PEDO Chief, so the details of the expenses have been declared satisfactory.

He directed that PC-1 submit an emergency request to the Planning and Development department to begin restoration work on the destroyed power plant as soon as possible after approval so that electricity production can resume, which is critical to the province's interests.