Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today directed officials to expedite work on several energy projects to meet chronic electricity shortages in the power-starved nation.
Sharif chaired the 11th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy here. The committee was briefed about the progress made so far on two power plants of 660 MW each in Jamshoro.
The prime minister's office said that financial arrangements have been made and the project will be undertaken after international competitive bidding, the committee was informed.
Sharif directed that timelines of the project should be fast-tracked so that 1,320 MW of electricity is added to the national grid as soon as possible.
He asked for forming a project implementation unit for executing the work in the shortest possible time and completing it by 2018.
The committee also reviewed progress on 3,600 MW LNG-based power plants. The petroleum ministry updated the prime minister on the progress made on this project since the last meeting of the committee.
The prime minister directed that the project be completed by February, 2017.
The committee was informed that by summer more than 1,500 MW more will be available in the system as compared to same time last year.
Sharif also said that load shedding in summers should not be more than 6 hours in cities and 8 hours in the rural areas.
He emphasised that measures should be taken for the conservation of electricity in the country.
The committee was also briefed on matters relating to Diamir-Bhasha and Neelam-Jhelum dams.
