Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is developing its own provincial transmission and grid system to improve electricity transmission within the province and meet the power requirements of its industrial sector. The development was discussed during a meeting chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, where officials briefed the provincial government on ongoing energy projects, electricity generation, the provincial transmission and grid system, natural resources and outstanding federal payments. The provincial government is also seeking greater control over the benefits generated from its energy resources, with the Chief Minister calling for protection of the province’s constitutional rights over hydropower, oil, gas and liquefied petroleum gas resources. According to the briefing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa currently supplies more than 70 percent of the country’s total hydel power generation to the national grid, while the absence of a provincial transmission network has limited the province’s ability to directly use and distribute electricity generated from its own projects.]
The provincial transmission initiative is being developed through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission and Grid System Company, which was incorporated in September 2020 and received a Provincial Grid Company licence from National Electric Power Regulatory Authority in February 2021 for a 30 year period. The company is responsible for developing and operating transmission infrastructure within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Officials have been working on the transfer of selected transmission assets from Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization to the provincial grid company, while feasibility studies are also underway for several major transmission projects. These include a 220 kilovolt transmission line from Madyan to Chakdara for the evacuation of power from Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization hydropower projects, a 132 kilovolt overhead transmission line network connecting hydropower projects with industrial zones, direct power dispersal from the 18 megawatt Pehur hydropower project, and a proposed 500 kilovolt Chitral to Chakdara transmission line with a planned 500/220/132 kilovolt grid station at Chakdara. The larger Chitral to Chakdara project is being studied for the dispersal of approximately 3,000 megawatts of electricity.
The provincial government is also seeking investment for the transmission infrastructure. Chief Minister Sohail Afridi directed officials to present the provincial transmission line project at an investors’ conference, describing it as a profitable project and stating that several countries have shown interest in investing in it. The initiative is intended to improve the ability of the province to transmit electricity from its hydropower projects to local load centres, including industrial areas. The provincial energy portfolio includes approximately 7,890 megawatts of projects being developed through Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization, while its operational projects currently generate 224 megawatts. These operational projects generated Rs8.829 billion in revenue during the 2025 to 2026 fiscal year, according to the briefing. A separate 40 kilometre transmission line from Matiltan to Bahrain is also under construction, supporting the province’s efforts to establish infrastructure for transmitting electricity generated through its own energy projects.
The transmission plan is also linked to the province’s broader energy resource position and its demand for greater control over electricity generated within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Officials told the meeting that the province produces around 530 million cubic feet of natural gas per day against consumption of approximately 200 million cubic feet, while daily liquefied petroleum gas production stands at around 850 tonnes compared with consumption of about 600 tonnes. The province also accounts for approximately 48 percent of Pakistan’s crude oil production and 38 percent of its liquefied petroleum gas production, according to the briefing. The provincial government maintains that expanding its own transmission infrastructure can help connect locally generated electricity with provincial consumers and industrial users while creating opportunities for investment in the energy sector. The establishment and operation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission and Grid System Company provides the province with an institutional framework for developing transmission infrastructure within its territory, while ongoing feasibility studies and planned investment discussions will determine the scale and pace of further development.
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