Pak Cabinet's ECC clears plan for 1,500 MW rental power plants

Islamabad, Aug.22 (ANI): The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Pakistan Cabinet has given its approval to a plan for 1500 megawatt rental power plants, and has also asked the federal power ministry to arrange 2,200 megawatts of electricity from 14 companies in order to end the country's power crisis.

Pakistan's Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf told journalists after the meeting that currently the country requires 2,700 megawatts of electricity through rental power plants.

He said that he had also directed the power ministry to seek 200 mmcfd of gas from the petroleum ministry to generate 700MW from the existing system.

He said that if the petroleum ministry failed to provide the required gas more electricity would be generated through the rental power plants.

In reply to a question about the financial impact of these rental plants, Ashraf said that when the plants came online the overall tariff would rise by six per cent.

He also said the government was working on hydel-power plants and projects like the Bhasha Dam and the Neelum-Jhelum power plants, and added that work on the Bunji dam project would start soon. (ANI)