Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday visited Jagran-1 Hydropower Plant in Neelum District, Azad Jammu Kashmir.

The deputy PM expressed satisfaction at the smooth functioning of the 30.4 MW Jagran-I which was conceived, approved and financed during the 1997-1999 tenure of former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif when he (Ishaq Dar) was the finance minister.

Ishaq Dar conveyed his best wishes for the engineers, technicians and workers employed in Jagran-1 and the full support of the government for the project, which is contributing to Pakistan’s energy security.

The Jagran-I Hydropower Project was first initiated in 1995 and progress gained momentum under the leadership of then Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. Deputy PM Mohammad Ishaq Dar, serving as then Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), fast-tracked the approval of the revised project and ensured its timely completion.

The Jagran-I Hydropower Project was inaugurated in October 2000 and began generating 132 million units of energy annually. The power plant is directly connected to the national grid via a 132 KV transmission line, significantly contributing to the country’s energy supply