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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has completed two mini-micro hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 342 kilowatts in Upper Dir district, providing low-cost electricity to more than 1,300 households.

The two projects are expected to benefit more than 7,000 people in underdeveloped areas of the district and will provide round-the-clock electricity without loadshedding.

The completed projects include a 250kW mini-hydropower project in the Siah Badrakani Dogdara area and a 92kW mini-micro hydropower project in Jogi Kas Dogdara, both of which have been formally inaugurated.

According to Faisal Dawar, project director of the Mini-Micro Hydel Power Projects, more than 1,000 families will benefit from the Siah Badrakani project, while over 300 families will benefit from the Jogi Kas project.

The Energy and Power Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has launched mini-micro hydropower projects under the Access to Clean Energy Program in underdeveloped areas of the province. The projects are being carried out under the supervision of the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization, a subsidiary of the Energy and Power Department.

By the end of this year, 10 more mini-micro hydropower projects with a total capacity of 2,445kW are expected to be completed, benefiting thousands of people in Upper Dir district.

Work is also under way on several other projects in Dir, including Tapandi 250kW, Kalkot 200kW, Thal Malo 250kW, Munzdog 150kW, Roghani Kalay 50kW, Malok Khor 150kW and Shringal 500kW.

In addition, the foundation stone has been laid for a 700kW mini-micro hydel power project in Salul Union Council of Sheringal. The Energy Department said it is working on small, medium and large hydropower projects to make maximum use of the province’s natural resources and help address the energy crisis.