After Sindh, KP to have its own Transmission and Grid System Company.

ISLAMABAD -- After Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become the second province in the country which will have provincial Transmission and Grid System Company (Private) Limited, after the Nepra has granted licence to the province.

The Authority in terms of Section-18A of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997 (referred to as the 'NEPRA Act') has granted a licence to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission and Grid System Company (Private) Limited to act as a Provincial Grid Company (PGC) in the province, said a spokesman of NEPRA here. In 2019, NEPRA had granted licence to Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company (Private) Limited (ST and DCPL).

The grant of licence to the subsidiary/company of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will facilitate in connecting the under construction as well as future proposed hydel power projects to the designated load centers not only in the province but will also help in transporting cheap electricity to national grid, thus paving the way for development of the province as well as the country, the spokesman said.

Earlier this month, NEPRA had conducted public hearing on the KP's petition to grant lincence for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission and Grid System Company (Private) Limited. During hearing, both Nepra and National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) had said that they didn't have any objection to the setting up a provincial grid transmission company as they want to create competition in the electricity transmission system. The regulator had completed the hearing and reserved the judgment on the KP petition for provincial grid company.

The hearing, presided over by Chairman NEPRA Tauseef. H. Farooqi, was informed by the KP government that a license has already been issued by the regulator to Sindh government for the establishment transmission company. The applicant said that so many hydropower projects in the province are in pipeline and the province needs its own transmission company to carry the upcoming electricity load. 'We want that the province should have its own transmission company,' he added. Chief Legal Officer NTDC Hamza Randhawa said that they have legal and technical objections to the KP request for provincial grid company. The official of the NTDC said...