Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Nowhere near completion: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years
ISLAMABAD: Despite being the top priority of the prime minister, 143 energy projects costing Rs1.8 trillion cannot be completed before nine years because of lack of resources and capacity constraints, says a top official.

Only those schemes could be completed before eight or nine years that had been initiated in the hope of foreign fund contribution, according to a briefing given by Hasan Nawaz Tarar, Secretary Ministry of Planning and Development, to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) here on Thursday.

Though energy was the highest priority area, the federal government earmarked just Rs107 billion for 143 energy projects out of allocation of Rs425 billion for 1,130 development schemes in the current fiscal year, said Tarar.

“It is shocking to know that the highest priority sector’s projects will be completed in eight to nine years,” observed Syed Naveed Qamar of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who is a member of the PAC.

His party had been accused of expanding the size of development portfolio as many projects were initiated under political compulsions, which ate up the already scarce resources.

Source

One example of misplaced priorities is Youth Loan Scheme which will eat up over Rs100b without making any meaningful impact on the economy. Than we will have more ‘item songs’ like laptop and solar panel schemes.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

That is why PPP did nothing for it. They knew any large scale project takes more than 5 years and would waste their time which can be spent more efficiently in loot maar. Rental Power is what they could come up with.

What Naveed Qamar is saying is disgusting. Someone who is supposed to have been a senator should never ever be 'shocked' to learn that energy production projects take several years to complete.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

Is this the same Syed sahib? What did he do while he was the minister except talking non-sense and making money?

No more loadshedding in Pakistan: Naveed Qamar – The Express Tribune

****ISLAMABAD: **Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar said in the National Assembly that there will be no loadshedding in Pakistan from Monday onwards.
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He made this announcement in response to a question related to power outages by MNA Sardar Saleem Haider.

“We have taken steps to produce more electricity to overcome the dilemma of power outage,” Qamar said on floor of the House.

He, however, could not explain how the government will succeed in its claim that there will be no loadshedding from Tuesday…

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

5+5=10
awam still get one year to enjoy the fruits of democrazy.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

I hate the way you distort the history by lying again and again. Hate PPP but don’t lie.

Pakistan, Iran agree to complete gas pipeline in 15 months - thenews.com.pk

**TEHRAN: President Asif Ali Zardari was accorded a warm welcome by his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday when he arrived here on a two-day official visit, heading a high-ranking delegation.
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At Mehrabad International Airport, Zardari was welcomed by Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Ghasemi. The Iranian oil minister and his delegation agreed with their Pakistani counterparts to set up a joint contracting company to complete the construction of the IP gas pipeline within the next 15 months.

An Iranian-Pakistani joint contractor has been commissioned to begin construction of he IP gas pipeline. The Iranian and Pakistani oil ministers also inaugurated construction of the 781-km Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline on Pakistan’s soil.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the visiting Pakistani president that the much-delayed $7.5 billion gas pipeline project must go ahead despite US opposition.

“The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline is an important example of Tehran-Islamabad cooperation, and despite hostilities towards the expansion of ties, we must overcome this opposition decisively,” Khamenei told Zardari, his office reported.

“Accessing a safe energy source is the first priority for any country including Pakistan. In this region, the Islamic republic is the only nation that has safe energy resources and we are ready to provide Pakistan its energy needs,” said Khamenei.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Zardari, “building the gas pipeline between Iran and Pakistan is a great and important event, and it serves the two nations’ interests.”

Zardari said, “I believe that building this project is very beneficial for both sides and we support all the work carried out so far.” Islamabad has said it will pursue the project regardless of US pressure, adding the gas is needed to help Pakistan overcome its energy crisis.

The IP gas pipeline stretches from the Iran-Pakistan border to Nawabshah. Apart from this, both countries also discussed the finances involved in the project. The interest rate for Iran’s 500-million-dollar loan to Pakistan and the date for the start of the repayment of the loan by Pakistan were also discussed.

Demand for natural gas in Pakistan has outstripped supply in recent years, putting existing reserves under immense pressure. The 2,700-kilometer long pipeline was to supply gas for Pakistan and India, but India has evaded talks. In 2011, Iran and Pakistan declared they would finalise the agreement bilaterally if India was not interested in the project.

According to the project proposal, the pipeline will begin from Iran’s Assalouyeh Energy Zone in the south and stretch over 1,100 km through Iran. In Pakistan, it will pass through Balochistan and Sindh but officials now say the route may be changed if China agrees to the project.

Iran has almost completed the pipeline work in its territory, but Pakistan has not yet started construction of 780 kilometers (490 miles) of the pipeline on its side, which is said to cost some $1.5 billion.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

^ I hope you know the difference between 'agreeing to do something' and 'actually doing something'. Remember the news is from 'February 2013'. Had anything actually been done?No money or guts to start the project earlier either.

Yes, PPP did do something. Rental power. One of the most disgusting scams of our times.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

Realistically, he is right. Based on the amount of cash loans the current govt took out, and the amount of padding in electricity and gas bills, government should essentially have more than enough cash to fund uninterrupted power supply to the entire country. But it is obvious that the cash being earned is bleeding elsewhere. I have made 2 trips to Pakistan in the last 4 months…and in my experience, inflation has doubled in these 4 months alone. Fiscally, the country is looking at a black hole, and will be looking at major loan repayments in the coming months/years. Seems to be a replay of 1998-99, where the country went to near bankruptcy, thanks to similar policies.

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

^ I am not commenting on how well (or badly) the economy is being managed. I am just amazed that a guy who has been a "water and power minister" is "SHOCKED" to hear about 8-9 years.

Building a 2 kanal house takes almost one year. How does he expect power projects to be finished in a few months? Except if you order rental power plants, and we all know what was the real 'purpose' of those.

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You said PPP did nothing and I showed you they did something by signing IPL with Iran. I know you are not that stupid that there is a time required between initiating a project and finishing the project. What your leader and current leaders of Pakistan have done so far to implement this project? Had these leaders serious in that project, the project should have been either completed or near completion, giving a great relief in energy crisis.

Can you tell me what your leader has done, conducting fraud energy seminars in the past, fooling the public two years ago. Just focus on your jhootha stupid leader and his party, now ruling KP eh! What he has achieved in energy crisis he promised before elections!

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

^ At least there are some projects that have STARTED already which would take few years to complete. They are not 'signing' of contracts on last days of a government knowing fully that there is little chance of that project actually starting.

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Which projects are you talking about?

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Re: Vital energy projects to take more than nine years

^ The projects that would take 8-9 years and which our dear ex-minister. They might have been funded better had the haram khors been a little sympathetic to our economy.