PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is all set to become the first province inPakistan which would be self sufficient in its energy needs.

The Suki Kinari Hydropower Project will produce 870 Megawatts (MW) ofenergy.

A part of China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), this is the largestproject in the entire KP, with the exception of Tarbela. A run-of-the-riverproject at 166-kilometre-long Kunhar, which originates at the Lulusar Lakenearly 48 kilometres upstream from Naran Valley, runs through the valleyand ends up in the Jhelum River.Being developed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, the project’stotal cost is US$1.9 billion and it is. Hence, it would not be a burden onthe KP government as the company, CGGC, would operate it for 30 years andthen transfer it to the KP government.

Though Pakistan had identified hydropower generation strength of RiverKunhar in the mid-50s, the study was commenced in 1960 but this potentialcould never be harnessed until CGGC took it up in 2016.

Run-of-the-river projects envisage are designed to draw water from theriver, take it to the turbines in a powerhouse located downstream throughtunnel and after producing energy, divert it back to the river – with waterremaining available to produce energy through yet another similar set updownstream. This process is called cascading.

In addition to Suki Kinari project, two more projects have been announcedby KP government at Batakundi (96 MW) and Naran (188MW) – both upstream ofthe Suki Kinari project.

Another project Patrind (147 MW) is already underway downstream. So in allthere would be four hydropower projects on Kunhar River with a totalcapacity of 1300 MWs.