ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that significant addition of power to the national grid with the completion of the ongoing projects will eliminate load shedding in Pakistan for all times to come. He made these remarks while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Energy at the PM’s House on Tuesday. During the meeting, Water and Power Secretary Younus Dagha gave a detailed briefing on the timeline of the ongoing power projects in Pakistan. The premier was informed that the power projects would be completed before March 2018. These projects include three LNG power plants (Bhikki, Haveli-Bahadur, Baloki (3,600MW), Chashma 3 & 4 Nuclear (340MW each), Guddu Gas (400MW), Nandipur Gas (100MW), Sahiwal Coal (1,320MW), various wind/bagasse projects (350MW), Patrind Hydropower Project (147MW), Faisalabad Gas (250MW), Neelum-Jhelum (969MW), Tarbela 4 Extension (1,410MW) and Port Qasim Power Plant (1,320MW). The meeting was assured that a total of 11,131MW would be made available to the national grid by March 2018. The meeting was also informed that all transmission line projects were on track, and billions of rupees had been invested in the existing distribution network to bear the load of additionally generated power after completion of the ongoing power projects. The prime minister said that such a huge investment had never been made in the energy sector in the history of the country. The government was working not only to overcome the energy shortfall but also to cater to the future energy needs of the country, he added. He said that increased power generation would also contribute towards economic growth, employment generation and increased industrial activity, which would also attract foreign investment. The premier said that he would personally monitor the progress of the ongoing power projects across the country, and visit the sites of all power projects to ensure their timely completion. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi and senior officials attended the meeting.