Islamabad- Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said government is taking all steps necessary to meet energy shortage in the country. He directed that load shedding should not exceed 6 hours in summer.
He expressed these views, while chairing a meeting on energy situation in the country at the PM House today. He said government expects to add around 10,000 MW of electricity to the national grid during this time period, which includes generation through solar, wind, hydro, nuclear as well as through LNG.
The Prime Minister said PML-N government is focusing on development. Government is confident that increased availability of electricity would not only provide relief to the common man by reduced load-shedding, but also give a boost to the industrial and agricultural sectors.
The Prime Minister was informed that the country is currently facing a shortfall of around 5000-6000 MW, which is expected to rise with the passage of time. PM was given briefing on the progress of power generation projects being undertaken to meet the shortfall.
The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Water and Power that load-shedding in summers should not be more than six hours, in urban areas and eight hours in rural areas. He also directed the Ministry to take steps for conservation of electricity, including considering closure of shops and markets earlier.
The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers for Defense, Khawaja Muhammad Asif; Federal Minister for Petroleum, Mr. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi; Secretary Water and Power, Mr. Younus Dhaga and Secretary Petroleum, Mr. Arshad Mirza.