The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in its meeting is likely to approve 30 mega projects of national importance including '747 megawatts Combined Cycle Power Plant at Guddu' with a cost of Rs 60.871 billion.

Total cost of the 30 projects is Rs 333.3 billion including Rs 89.951 billion as foreign exchange component (FEC). The 747MW Combined Cycle Power Plant at Guddu project PC-I cost was Rs 59.775 billion including 45.472 billion as FEC while the updated cost (on current ex rate) is Rs 60.871 billion including Rs 46.568 billion as FEC.

The financer for this project was the Export Credit Agency (ECA) Financing Consortium (Chinese Exim Bank, US Exim Bank and GENCO-I). During the year 2009-10, GENCO allocated Rs 22.967 billion from its own sources. The scheme would be completed in 36 months.

ECNEC will take up 30 projects in the fields of transport and communication, energy, physical planning and housing, devolution and area development, Higher Education Commission (HEC) and population.

Transport and communication: It includes 16 projects including bridge over River Indus connecting Larkana and Khairpur districts at Rs 9.225 billion, construction and remodeling of southern by-pass detouring Hayatabad, Peshawar at Rs 3.030 billion, rehabilitation of assets damaged during the riots of Dec 27 and 28, 2007 at Rs 7.855 billion, procurement of 300 new designed high speed bogie wagons (revised) with Rs 3.238 billion and complete track renewal by replacing metal sleepers in connection with signalling project on Lodhran-Shahdra section at Rs 2.216 billion.

Other projects are, Amri - Qazi Ahmad Bridge over River Indus (between Hyderabad by-pass and Dadu Moro Bridge) connecting N-5 with N-55 at Rs 3.683 billion, widening and improvement of Bosan Road Multan at Rs 4.570 billion, construction of 103 kilometres long Khanewal - Lodhran (Bahawalpur) access controlled expressway (E-5A) at Rs 24.584 billion, improvement of Multan Inner Ring Road including six interchanges with improvement of grade intersections en-route at Rs 6.191 billion, construction of New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) and Allied Facilities at Rs 7.675 billion, National Highway Development sector project improvement and rehabilitation of nine sections of the National Highway (revised) at Rs 49.954 billion.

More projects of the transport sector are, construction of bridge across the River Indus linking Kandhkot located on the National Highway N-55 with Ghotki located on the National Highway N-5 at Rs 5.742 billion, bridge over River Indus linking N-5 with N-55 near Nishtrar Ghat at Rs 5.459 billion, Karachi to Hyderabad Motorway M-9 at Rs 13.439 billion, construction of bridge across River Chenal linking Shorkot and Garh Maharaja at Rs 1.602 billion and public-private partnership based environment friendly public transport system for major urban centres of Pakistan at Rs 5 billion.

The total 16 projects of transport and communication will cost Rs 153.467 billion including Rs 17.612 billion as FEC for which the government has already allocated Rs 16.383 billion in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2009-10.

Energy: This important sector has 5 projects with total cost of Rs 87.943 billion including Rs 60.841 billion as FEC for which the government has allocated Rs 23.517 billion in PSDP 2009-10. These projects are, Nuclear Fuel Enrichment Plant (NFEP) project at Rs 12.247 billion, extension/augmentation of existing 500 and 220KV Grid Stations of National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) system by installation of additional transformers with cost of Rs 1.934 billion, 747MW Combined Cycle Power Plant at Guddu with cost of Rs 60.871 billion and. upgradation of transmission lines and grid system network of HESCO at Rs 5.859 billion and national Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) project at Rs 7.030 billion.

Physical planning and housing: This sector has 6 projects with a total cost of Rs 33.248 billion including Rs.7.497 billion as FEC for which the government has allocated Rs 610 million in PSDP 2009-10. These projects are, Quetta Water Supply and Environmental Improvement Project (QWSIP) revised Rs 17.092 billion, extension of water resources for Faisalabad City Phase-I at Rs 5.133 billion, construction of new Supreme Court Building at Islamabad (2nd revised) at Rs 1.055 billion, reconstruction of district complexes at Bagh and Rawalakot at Rs 2.778 billion, Gravity Flow Water Supply Scheme Abbotabad at Rs 4.280 billion and construction of additional family suites for members of the parliament including servant quarters blocks at Sector G-5/2, Islamabad (revised) for Rs 2.908 billion.

Social sector: In this sector, there are three projects for devolution and area development, HEC and population welfare with a total cost of Rs 58.641 billion including Rs 4 billion as FEC for which the government has allocated Rs 5.743 billion in PSDP 2009-10.

Devolution and area development has a single project, Sustainable Livelihood for Barani Areas Project (Punjab) revised at Rs 4.002 billion. The HEC also has a single project, construction of King Abdullah University Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot Campuses at Rs 5.282 billion including Rs 4 billion as FEC.
The population welfare has a single project, 'Population Welfare Programme (2009-14) with a cost of Rs 49.356 billion.