According to the minister, up to 5,000 megawatts of electricity will be generated by the Iranian gas in order to relieve electricity shortages in Pakistan.
Pointing to the directive of the Pakistani Senate’s Petroleum Committee, the official said that power plants will be constructed en route the pipeline in Gwadar and other districts of Balochistan Province in the southwest of the country.
On March 11, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated the final construction phase of the gas pipeline, which is to carry natural gas from Iran to its eastern neighbor.
The pipeline will see 21.5 million cubic meters (mcm) per day of Iranian natural gas exported to Pakistan.
The new Pakistani government has, on several occasions, stressed that it will pursue the gas pipeline project.
Last month, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal reiterated that the new Pakistani government would continue the joint gas pipeline project with Iran, saying the issue of energy is Islamabad’s top priority.
“We will continue the work at the gas pipeline because such a vital project cannot be set aside in hard times like the present,” Iqbal said.
“Energy is our first, second and third top priority. Electricity is no longer a mere commodity now; it is a necessity and lifeline,” he added.
The joint multi-billion-dollar pipeline is designed to help Pakistan overcome its growing energy needs at a time when the country of over 180 million people is grappling with serious energy shortages.
