1st Power Project in 7 Years !!

Musharraf launches Rs130 bn Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric project - At Last, country's first Power Project in 7 Years !! Yeah baby

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday launched Rs 130 billion (US 2.16 billion) Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric project aimed at producing 969 megawatt power and helping the country meet its increasing energy requirements.

The president termed it a very important project, and said it would have "far-reaching strategic implications". He added that it would be completed with the Chinese assistance in eight years.

He described it as yet another symbol of the Pak-China friendship and added it would also contribute towards the economic progress of the country. Musharraf said the ongoing power shortage in the country needed to be addressed swiftly.

He pointed out that China was meeting 70 per cent of its energy needs through coal. He said Pakistan had immense coal reserves in Thar and described those as one of the largest in the world, which could be utilized to generate electricity.

He said that work was on at the Thar Coal project, but added it was a long-term project and would take some time to complete. In 2001, he said, the country had 4,000 MW power in excess, but with the booming economy and rapid industrialization, things changed rapidly and today, the country was facing a shortage of both electricity and gas.

when in the of holy mother of GOD was that .. if that is true why the fuck was there load shedding in the country at that time ???

The president said there had been some lapse in this regard, as there should have been more focus on rapid generation of power to cater to the growing demand. "It is regrettable that nothing has been done to generate hydropower in the past 30 years," the president said, adding at least feasibility for other projects should have been prepared, while the controversial debate on the Kalabagh Dam was going on.

forget the bloody 30 years ... talk about the last 7 years, wtf have you done Sir, don't play the blame game ?

The president pointed out that work had begun on the Diamer Bhasha Dam and after completion, it would help the country meet its energy demand. Musharraf said currently, there was a need for generating energy to meet the short-term requirements.

He said the recent discoveries of gas in the NWFP and Sindh would help produce thermal energy. The president said under the short-term planning, 2,000 MW of electricity would be produced by the end of this year, while another 3,500 MW would be generated by the end of the next year.

surely that will help but that is not going to solve the problems !

The president particularly thanked the Chinese government for its assistance and said several other projects, like the expansion of the Karakoram Highway, would further strengthen the bonds between the two countries.

Earlier, the president unveiled a plaque, marking the launch of the Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric project. Under the project, water from the Neelum River would be diverted through a 47 km-long tunnel.

A powerhouse would be constructed at Chattar Kalas, 22 kilometres south of Muzaffarabad, and the water would be released in the Jhelum River. The project would produce 5.15 billion units of electricity annually.