• WAPDA Authority in its meeting held on 31.08.2010 decided to implement Lower Spat Gah Scheme on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
• M/s KOMIPO-POSCO Engineering Consortium of Korea was selected as Private Sponsor
• Govt. of KP had shown interest to acquire 1% share of WAPDA and implement the Project at Provincial level vide their letter dated 18.04.2018.
• WAPDA vide letter dated 21.05.2018 requested Govt. of KP to depute a team of experts to resolve modalities and final ownership of the project.
• Govt. of KP deputed a team of experts from Energy and Power Department, for formally taking over Spat Gah HPP from WAPDA on 14.09.2018.
• WAPDA informed Govt. of KP on 21.02.2019 that ADB has shown interest in the implementation of Lower Palas, Patan and other Hydropower Projects on conventional mode. If Govt. of KP agrees, WAPDA will take up Spat Gah HPP with ADB for financing. The response from KP Govt. is still awaited.
• In response Govt. of KP informed vide letter dated 24.10.2019 that Govt. of KP intends to develop the Lower Spat Gah and Lower Palas HPPs through Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hydropower Policy-2016/PPP Act 2013 and consent required under Article 157(1) of the constitution may be considered as Nil.
• Govt. of KP requested Federal Minister (Water Resources) to hand over Spat Gah, HPP to GoKP vide letter dated 02-11-2020.
• In response, WAPDA requested Secretary, MoWR “that a clear policy regarding project size limit may be devised through Federal Government to handle the project by Provincial Government on the analogy of up to 50 MW projects is handled by the provinces in the nineties, vide letter dated 21.12.2020.
• Reference to the meeting held on 26.01.2021 held under the Chairmanship of Secretary MoWR, WAPDA submitted his stance regarding handing over subject hydropower projects to the Secretary of MoWR vide letter dated 09.02.2021.
• In response to the letter by MoWR dated 30.06.2021, WAPDA responded vide letter dated 24.08.2021 that NOC for Lower Spat Gah HPP will only be considered after fulfilling the following requirements;
- Implementation of Lower Palas Valley will be handed over to WAPDA.
- The govt. of KP/ PEDO shall adopt the Kohala HPP model wherein the sponsors had borne all the expenditures incurred on Feasibility studies, Detailed investigations, and O&M of hydrological stations.
- M/s KHNP will have to design the Lower Spat Gah HPP considering the flood levels, flushing, and operation of the proposed Patan Dam Project (2400 MW – 2800 MW).
• In response, Secretary to MoWR considered the Provincial Government’s decision and urged that instructions may be conveyed for immediately handing over all the documentation related to 496 MW Lower Spat Gah HPP, including the feasibility study to the Provincial Government, free of cost vide letter dated 24.09.2021.