The construction of the Koto power plant in Lower Dir district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has entered the final stage of completion.
After successful completion at the end of this year, the project will start producing 40.8 megawatts of cheap electricity, which will bring more than Rs. 2 billion to the province annually and create new employment opportunities in the province. It will help to overcome the crisis.
This was stated by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) Engr. Naeem Khan during his emergency visit to the project site on Friday.
He was flanked by Deputy Commissioner Lower Dir Iftikhar Khan Marwat. He reviewed the progress of work on the project and various parts of the project.
About the progress of work on the project, Deputy Director Engineer Muqeem uddin said that due to security reasons, several workers of the team of Chinese engineers working on the project had left their work and went back, while during the Covid-19 emergency, which proved difficult to bring machinery for the project. Due to these reasons, the project work was slightly delayed. However, after the security situation improved, now the Chinese staff was back and working fast again and the machinery had been brought.
He said that there were some difficulties in acquiring land for the project, on which Deputy Commissioner Iftikhar Khan assured the project officials that discussions were in progress with the local people regarding the purchase of land and payments to the landowners would be made soon.
Eng. Naeem Khan, while expressing satisfaction over the pace of work on the project, directed the field staff that the pace of work on the project should be increased so that the people can benefit from the project soon.—APP