Pakistan to import electricity from Iran

Islamabad, Feb 28 (UNI) Pakistan plans to import 500 MW electricity from Iran in view of the current power deficit and for future requirements of the deep sea port at Gwadar.

Pakistan had already inked a deal to import 100 MW electricity from Iran at the rate of 6.25 cents per unit, The News quoted a senior Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) official as saying.

''However, we are currently importing 39 MW electricity from Iran at the revised rate of 5 cents per unit for Taftan and Mashkhail -- the border areas of Balochistan,'' the official said.

''We have started negotiations with Iran for the import of 500 MW more, pre-empting massive business activities and massive demand of electricity in the duty-free Gwadar Port in southwestern Balochistan province in the years to come,'' he added.

Apart from this, the government is also planning to install a 100 MW power generation plant at the Gwadar port.

''To this effect, we are vigorously working on it,'' the official said, adding, Pakistan had first imported electricity in 2002 at the rate of 3 cents per unit. After a three-year contract, now the power tariff has been raised by Iran to 5 cents per unit.

''Currently, we are importing 39 MW electricity exclusively for the border areas of Balochistan, wherein WAPDA's power transmission and distribution network is not available.'' ''We have recently inked a deal to import 100 MW electricity from Iran at the purchasing rate 6.25 cent per unit.'' The former Wapda chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Zulfiqar Ali Khan, first visited Iran in July 2002 to negotiate tariff rates and struck a deal for importing electricity at 3 cents per unit (Rs 1.80 per unit) under a three-year construct, the official said, adding, ''after the expiry of the contract, the tariff has been revised to 5 cents''.

UNI