LOWER DIR: Social activists in Lower Dir have criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government over prolonged delays in completing the much-anticipated Koto Hydropower Project (KotoHPP), and demanded immediate action to bring the strategic energy initiative online.

Speaking to Dawn in Timergara, activists Akbar Khan, Ibrash Pasha, and Shad Muhammad said the delay in the project`s completion reflects the provincial government`s lack of seriousness toward a vital development initiative that promises clean and affordable electricity.

They pointed out that despite repeated promises and claims by the authorities, the 40.8-megawatt project remains incomplete nearly a decade after its groundbreaking.

Launched on July 4, 2015, by the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan along with then KP chief minister Pervez Khattak, the Koto HPP was initially scheduled for completion by February 2019 at a cost of Rs1399. 999 million. However, the project has faced persistent delays due toadministrative, financial, and technicalbottlenecks.

The project site is located on Panjkora River near Koto village, about seven kilometers from Timergara. First identified in1992, the project underwent feasibility studies between 2008 and 2011.

According to officials from the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization(PEDO), 97 percent of the physical construction work has been completed.

The activists said that although only three percent of the work remains, progress has stalled yetagain. Moreover, non-seriousness on part of the provincial government is quite obvious as in the current provincial budget, only a token Rs0.001 million has been allocatedfor the project.

Once operational, the Koto HPP is expected to generate 207 GWh annually and generate over Rs1.7 billion in revenue at a tarif f of Rs8.241/kWh. All civil works and the one-kilometer transmission line have been completed, and the project has received all necessary approvals from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).

However, signing of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) and PESCO is still pending.

PEDO officials attributed the current delay to the incomplete switchyard, a critical component for grid connectivity. They said the required equipment has to be imported from China, but foreign exchange shortages and restrictions on Letters of Credit (LCs) have stalled procurement.

The activists have urged the government to ensure that the long-awaited project begins contributing to the province`s power grid at the earliest.