The government of Pakistan will allow consumers access to data from the power industry via an app, including power produced from hydropower plants, for the first time in the country’s history.
Roshan Pakistan, a bilingual app in both English and Urdu languages, is available on cellular phones that use the Android operating system. Amongst its several functions, the app allows users to view planned load-shedding schedules and actual load shedding.
Federal Minister for Power Division, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, on Dec. 26, said “this is the first time in Pakistan’s history that vital information pertaining to the power sector is being shared with the general public.”
The move could also help investment in the energy sector if potential public private partnerships can analyze data unfiltered by the government for use in business models estimating potential return on investment for rehabilitating current projects or constructing new facilities.
The January-June 2017 Private Participation in Infrastructure Half Year Update cites investments in hydropower in Pakistan worth US$1.9 billion and $1.7 billion and says the country was a new entrant to the list of top five countries for private participation in infrastructure. Other countries in the top five are Indonesia, Jordan, Brazil and China.
Leghari said the move would enable the government to put to rest rumors and propaganda about the duration of load-shedding hours in different areas of the country. He also said load shedding will decrease once 11,000 MW of electricity is added to the Pakistan power system. The addition is expected after the completion of several projects, including the 1,410-MW Tarbela IV extension and 969-MW Neelum-Jhelum hydroelectric power scheme.
For Tarbela IV financing, the World Bank is providing $390 million and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank $300 million, which will help Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) foot the project’s expected total cost of $823.5 million. Of the remainder, WAPDA is expected to contribute $124.5 million, while the National Transmission and Dispatch Co. will add $9 million.
In October, HydroWorld.com reported Pakistan began filling the reservoir at the $4.5 billion Neelum-Jhelum scheme. The facility is part of a run-of-river scheme designed to divert water from the Neelum River to a powerhouse on the Jhelum River. The powerhouse is located in Azad Kashmir, 22 km south of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan.
Additional features of Roshan Pakistan include: users are able to view billing information and learn about net metering at their respective power feeder.
