A large portion of Pakistan’s renewable energy and hydropower potential is concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country’s northwestern province, with 40 million inhabitants. However, only a portion of this potential has been developed so far. The Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) is therefore pursuing a public-private renewable energy and hydropower development program to develop the potential for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and other provinces in Pakistan to meet their energy needs. Opportunities for exporting surplus energy to neighboring countries, such as Afghanistan, are also being explored.

ILF, together with Tractebel Engineering, the leader of the Joint Venture (JV) for this project, has been awarded a contract from PEDO for the provision of consultancy services as planning consultants for this hydropower and renewable energy development in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The project is being funded by the World Bank, under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hydropower and Renewable Energy (KHRE) program.

Work on the project commenced in May 2023, with a project kick-off meeting in Peshawar. The first part of the project involves preparing a master plan for the development of hydropower and renewable energy projects (photovoltaic plants and wind projects) in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. This master plan will consider criteria such as plant size, transmission lines, demand projections, project economics and socio-environmental impacts, in order to prioritize identified projects. Based on these criteria, an optimal portfolio of projects will be derived and included in the proposed investment program. The investment program takes into account public and private funded investments for a period of 25 years. In the next project stages, the recommended projects will be further evaluated in more detail through pre-feasibility, feasibility, and detailed design studies. The hydropower projects are expected to have an installed capacity in the range between 50 MW and 400 MW (as per TOR the minimum capacity for Hydropower Plant is 300MW and for renewable is 50MW). The consultants are also identifying suitable photovoltaic and wind power generation sites at locations throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In addition, the project will include a capacity building and training program for the stakeholders of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to help with the implementation of the energy development program.

As part of the JV, ILF will be responsible for the preparation of the investment program, the hydraulic design, the structural design of the power stations and intake structures, the design of the mechanical equipment, hydraulic steel structures and penstocks, and for the design of the electrical equipment for the power stations. Furthermore, ILF will also be responsible for the economic and financial assessment during the various project stages, as well as capacity building and training.