Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said the province will supply cheaper electricity to industries through its own power generation projects, after chairing a review meeting of the KP Transmission Line and Grid System Company. The session examined progress on transmission and hydropower schemes and issued new deadlines for delivery.
Afridi linked lower-cost power for factories to industrial growth, economic stability and job creation, directing authorities to accelerate work across generation, transmission and regulatory tracks.
Orders issued to speed grid build-out
The chief minister instructed officials to ensure timely completion of ongoing transmission line and hydropower projects, framing power-sector efficiency as a core provincial governance priority. He also directed that the feasibility study for a proposed KP Power Distribution Company be completed within six months and called for early finalisation of a draft regulatory authority act, which would establish a formal provincial framework for licensing, tariff-setting and consumer protection aligned with the federal National Electric Power Regulatory Authority.
Generation and transmission additions outlined
Officials briefed the meeting on new capacity coming online and the backbone infrastructure required to move that power to industrial and urban load centres. According to the briefing:
- Completion of ongoing projects would add 800 megawatts to the provincial power system.
- A 120‑kilometre transmission line is being laid from the Matiltan powerhouse to Chakdarra to evacuate power from upper Swat to the wider grid.
- The Daral Khwar Hydropower Project has been completed and made operational.
- Seven hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 224 megawatts have already been operationalised.
- The Matiltan Hydropower Project in the Gorkin Matiltan area has a planned capacity of 84 megawatts.
Officials said these schemes are intended to position Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which already contributes significant hydropower to the national system, to capture more value within the province through direct industrial supply.
How the plan ties generation to industry
Afridi’s directive centers on using provincially developed hydropower to supply industrial consumers at lower cost, contingent on timely completion of priority projects and the grid links that evacuate power from mountainous generation sites to factories. The push also includes laying groundwork for a provincial distribution company and a regulatory framework, steps that typically require feasibility validation, cabinet clearance and passage by the provincial assembly before implementation under Pakistan’s constitutional devolution of energy as a shared federal-provincial subject.
Officials present at the meeting said the administration expects cheaper, more reliable power to improve the competitiveness of industrial zones and export-oriented units, while reducing reliance on costlier national grid supply and chronic load-shedding.
Implementation milestones and oversight
Authorities were told to prioritise completion of all hydropower schemes, continue construction of the Matiltan-Chakdarra line, and deliver the distribution company feasibility within six months alongside early finalisation of the regulatory authority act. The chief minister directed the Energy and Power Department to submit quarterly progress reports and to ensure coordination with federal counterparts and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework where transmission alignments intersect strategic industrial corridors.
Provincial officials indicated that once the legal and regulatory architecture is in place, the government intends to move toward phased industrial supply contracts, positioning the initiative as a test case for greater provincial role in Pakistan’s power sector.
Worth a look
