By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, June 06 (INP-WealthPK): Pakistan has approached Iran to supply an additional 100MW of electricity to the port city of Gwadar to meet its growing power requirements and to support stable economic growth, according to an official announcement. Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal during a recent visit to Gwadar said the government, through the Ministry of Energy, has approached the Iranian authorities for the supply of additional electricity to Gwadar, which is the hub of all CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) activities. A spokesperson for the Planning Ministry told WealthPK that due to the strategic importance of Gwadar, concrete efforts are needed to resolve the problems being faced by the industrialists, investors, and the citizens in the region. “Gwadar lies along the south-western coast of Balochistan, which is not connected to the national grid. It receives its electricity supply through Iran, but that too has been dwindling in recent years due to domestic supply issues,” he said. Iran is nearby Gwadar, so the electricity supply from the neighboring country is viable as compared to Karachi, which lies at a long distance. “If an agreement is signed with Iran by the middle of June, it is envisaged that after three months, we will be able to obtain extra power of 100MW, resolving Gwadar's electricity needs,” he said. “It’s not that easy to supply electricity to Gwadar as there are some technical challenges. Huge investment and long construction time are required for its connection to the national grid,” the spokesperson explained. “The available system in Gwadar cannot support more than 70MW. We have requested the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) to construct a 29 kilometers long 132KV transmission line, which is a huge task,” he stated. The spokesperson further elaborated that the arrangement with Iran for power supply to Gwadar was short-term, and it would not be needed further once the Gwadar electricity system is connected to the national grid. “The geographical location of the Gwadar port puts it in an ideal zone for solar and wind power development, as the region enjoys high solar irradiation and wind speeds up to 6m/s. Additionally, solar and wind power plants are cheaper, quicker to build out, and capable of supplying power to remote areas disconnected from the grid,” he stated. The spokesperson said the population of Gwadar is small and the need for electricity is not too high. Therefore, he said, Gwadar can fulfil its complete electricity requirements if windmills are installed. The provision of solar panels to 3,000 households in Gwadar and other short-term measures are also being taken to ensure an additional supply of electricity to the city through Chinese assistance.