NA told Pakistan importing electricity

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) was informed on Wednesday that Pakistan had started importing electricity from Iran for border towns in Balochistan under a November 6, 2002 agreement between WAPDA and TAVANIR, an Iranian power utility company.

Federal Water and Power Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, in his written reply to MNA Maulana Ahmad Ghafoor Ghawas’s question, informed the house that the border towns of Taftan and Mashkhail were being supplied electricity from Iran after the completion of an interconnection network of 20 KV lines between Pakistan and Iran.

However, the minister said a 132 KV line for interlinking the Pakistani border town of Mand with Iran’s Jakigore had been completed by WAPDA up to the terminal point of the border, whereas the line from Iran to the Pakistani border was being constructed by Iranian authorities and they had promised to expedite and complete the work within a year. After the completion of the line in Iran, electricity would be made available to Mand through the 132 KV transmission lines.

The minister said WAPDA’s total expenses under all major heads had increased from Rs 109.5 billion during the financial year 1999 to Rs 206.2 billion during 2002. He said except for the operation and maintenance costs, all other costs were beyond the control of WAPDA because of the Debt Service Liability (DSL) to the government. DSL direct and capacity payments to independent power producers were contractual liabilities and had to be honoured.

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