ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has disclosed that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $900 million for Jamshoro coal-fired power generation plant and directed the authorities concerned to expedite work on Gadani and Jamshoro coal power projects.
While presiding over a meeting held to review the projects, the minister said that Gadani and Jamshoro coal power projects were government’s top priority. He said the government wanted to complete the projects at the earliest to overcome energy crisis in the country. He said that ultra super technology should be used and detailed study from independent sources should be carried out for the project. He said that the government’s resource envelope was limited so, “we have to operate within the available resource space.”
Dar said that domestic private sector resources would be encouraged for Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, adding that this was the least cost energy generation model which would enable the country meet short to medium term energy requirements.
He urged for putting on fast-track Jamshoro coal fired project for which funding was already available from the ADB. He also directed the Infrastructure Project Development Facility (IPDF) to work in collaboration with project director at Gaddani project.
Briefing the meeting‚ Pakistan Power Park Management Company head Nargis Sethi said that Nespak was working on PC-1 of the project‚ which included construction of a jetty and other infrastructure. She briefed the Finance Minister on the broad framework of the project.
Adviser to Finance Ministry Rana Assad Amin, Additional Secretary Shahid Mehmood and senior officials of the Finance Ministry also attended the meeting.
