PM witnesses signing ceremony of Kohala hydropower project

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has witnessed the agreement signing ceremony of 1124 MW Kohala hydropower project which would be completed with the cost of $2.5 billion, ARY News reported on Thursday.

The signing ceremony of a tripartite agreement held in Islamabad for the construction of 1124 MW Kohala hydropower project which was witnessed by PM Imran Khan, federal ministers, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing and others.

While addressing the event, the premier said that the past governments had not taken interest in hydropower sector for generating electricity through water resources. He also thanked for making a massive investment in the power sector.

He said that the government is focused on eco-friendly electricity generation projects by utilising water resources to end dependency on imported fuel. PM Imran Khan said that the hydropower project will also generate job opportunities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

Energy Minister Omar Ayub also addressing the ceremony where he invited foreign companies to get benefits of opportunities of investment in wind energy projects in Pakistan. He said that foreign companies could also avail facilities by installing manufacturing units in Pakistan for exports to other countries.

He added that the federal government has increased its target for power production from alternative sources from four per cent to 30 per cent.

According to the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB), the agreement was signed between Chinese ‘Three Gorges’ company, PPIB and the AJK government.

The Chinese company will provide an investment of Rs2.4 billion for the hydropower project to be constructed at the eastern river of Jhelum. The project will annually generate five million units of low-cost and environment-friendly electricity.