ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said on Monday that the government attached the highest priority to elimination of load-shedding in the shortest possible time.
The PM said this while chairing a high-level meeting.
“The government has steadfastly worked in the last three years to achieve their cherished goal. All the groundwork for achieving this target has been completed. With more than 8,000 megawatts (MW) of new generation scheduled to come into the national grid before June 2018, we are well on-course for a load-shedding free Pakistan,” the PM said.
The government, he said, was focusing on eliminating the energy crisis as well as meeting future energy needs.
The Prime Minister directed the early completion of power projects without compromising on efficiency and quality of work.
The PM also directed officials to enhance coordination among different government organisations to facilitate consumers. “No laxity will be tolerated with regard to timelines for the completion of ongoing projects,” he said.
Earlier, the Water and Power secretary had briefed the meeting about the surge in electricity demand during to rising temperatures.
The meeting was also briefed about the existing power demand and supply situation, load management plan and timelines for various ongoing power projects.
The meeting was informed that a total of 5,710 megawatts of electricity would be added to the system by the end of 2017. The issues of circular debt, recoveries and line losses were also discussed.
The Petroleum and Natural Resources secretary briefed the meeting about the supply of fuel and gas to the power sector and the provision of new gas connections to domestic, industrial and commercial users.
The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Punjab Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.
