ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top economic decision-making body has approved a 100-megawatt solar photovoltaic power project for the country’s northern province of Gilgit-Baltistan, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), which oversees major development projects, approved the project after a recent announcement by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his visit to the area.
Formal work on the project would now commence, according to Radio Pakistan. The prime minister had announced during his recent visit to Gilgit-Baltistan that ECNEC would soon approve the 100MW power plants.
The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) had already approved the project and it would benefit the districts of Astore, Darel, Tangir, Diamer, Ghanche, Ghizer, Gilgit, Hunza, Ishkoman, Nagar, Roundu, Skardu and Shigar, according to Radio Pakistan.
Skardu district would be provided with 18.96MW of electricity in the first phase; the districts of Hunza, Gilgit and Diamer would be supplied with 6MW, 28MW and 13MW of electricity, respectively, in the second phase and the remaining districts would receive 16.1MW of electricity in the third phase, according to Radio Pakistan.
The project is set to be completed within three years at a total cost of Rs24,957 million.
