Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division), Engineer Khurram Dastagir Khan here Thursday said the government was promoting renewable energy sources including wind, hydro power, coal, solar and bio-energy in order to make Pakistan self-sufficient in electricity for speedy economic growth and development.
He was addressing after inspection of ongoing construction work on a high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station at tehsil Azakhel Bala in Nowshera district. The Minister also laid the foundation stone of 500KV HVAC grid station at Nowshera.
The Minister was accompanied by Managing Director National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC), Engr Dr Rana Abdul Jabbar Khan, senior officers of Wapda and Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) besides others authorities associated with the mega project.
The Nowshera converter station was being constructed under CASA-1000 Project for transmission of 1300 megawatt inexpensive, clean and environment friendly electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan via Afghanistan to Pakistan.
CASA-1000 Project is a great example of mutual cooperation of governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan aimed at to harness clean energy and building a shared regional electricity market, fighting climate change and increasing standard of living for their populations.
The minister said that CASA-1000 project was a mega project of electricity trade that would usher a new era of economic prosperity and development besides meeting the growing energy demands of the country.
Focus was being made to utilize domestic resources on priority basis to increase energy production while power transmission system was being strengthened in the country.
He said the coalition government had revived the pace of economic and energy development and started scores of electricity and energy projects in all four provinces of Pakistan. —APP
