PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has proposed 17 energy projects of 2,825 megawatts and $9,357 million for inclusion in the multibillion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Also, a consultant has been hired for 300 megawatts Balakot hydropower project to be launched with the support of the Asian Development Bank.

This was stated by provincial energy and power minister Mohammad Atif during a meeting of the energy and power department here on Tuesday.

According to a statement, the minister told participants that the award of Sharmai hydel power project was being given to joint venture of Sapphire Electric and Sino Hydro of China.

Besides others, the meeting was also attended by energy and power secretary Naeem Khan, Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation chief executive officer Akbar Ayub, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited CEO Raziuddin and chief planning of ficer Syed Zainullah Shah.

The officials informed participants about the ongoing, new and proposed energy and power projects.

They highlighted the progress on Jabori, Lawi, Karora, Daral Khwar and Mataltan power projects, run-of-canal project and supply of electricity to floodhit villages of Chitral district.

The officials said two projects of runof-canal pilot project would be completed by the end of the current month.

They said solarisation of 8,000 schoolsand 182 basic health units would be made in collaboration with the ADB, while work on the solarisation of 6,000 villages were already approved. The minister directed the authorities concerned to include 1,000 mosques in the solarisation projects, too.

He asked the authorities to accelerate work on hydropower projects and said work on 150 of the 356 microhydropower projects had been completed and that the remaining projects should be successfully executed by Dec 31, 2017.

Mr. Atif said the provincial government`s policies had encouraged local and foreign investors to put their billions of rupees in the province.

He said he was hopeful that investment in the next one and a half years would reach billions of dollars.

The minister said there existed conducive atmosphere in the province for investors and therefore, they could put money in any field without fear.

ROAD SHOW IN BEIJING: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will hold another `Road Show` in Beijing by the end of next month to market investment options of the province. The earlier such events, one held in Dubai and the other in Karachi, have yet to bear fruit.

According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak urged the prime minister to convene a meeting of all political forces of KP to take them on board on the western route of the CPEC.

He was talking to a delegation of the Peshawar Press Club at the Chief Minister`s House here, where adviser to the CM for information Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani and information secretary Arshad Majeed were also present.

The CM said the western route was integral part of CPEC and an additional all-weather route connecting Gilgit to Dir and Chakdara via Chitral andShandoor had already become part of the corridor project.

He said the Peshawar Mass Transit project would connect six districts covering transportation to 41 per cent of the total population of the province.

Mr. Khattak said the 1,700 megawatts of electricity would be produced from the surplus water resources under the CPEC project, while Rashakai Industrial City would be built on 40 thousand kanals of land.

He said his government was set to sign an agreement with the FWO for the construction of two smart cities in Peshawar and Rashakai.

The CM said the 123km long greater Peshawar Mass Transit project connect-ing Peshawar, 1lowshera, Mardan and Peshawar within an additional 103km track would further connect Swabi and Malakand and provide ef ficient transportation to 41 percent of total population of the province.

He added that Gilgit, Shandoor, Chitral and Chakdara had emerged as the alternate and allweather route of the CPEC.

Mr. Khattak said the proposed road costing Rs280 billion would be 586km long.

He said he was hopeful that the road would open to the Central Asian Republics via Wakhan in future.

The CM said KP had proposed 10 additional hydel power projects with a capacity to produce 2,157 megawatts.

Meanwhile, the CM offered Chinese investors to put money in the natural advantages, the province in energy sector hydro, gas and solar energy, mining sectors.

He made the offer during a meeting with a delegation of SINOMAC Investment Company here at the CM`s House.