Why has the PEDO solar grid station in Bajaur not been made operational?

Three issues are blocking commissioning: no funds have been released to lay the final 1-kilometre transmission line, local landowners are refusing to allow the line through their property, and construction on the nearby Khar Bypass has lowered the site level so that rainwater now accumulates around the completed equipment.

How much did the Khar Bazaar mini solar grid station cost?

The Khar project was budgeted at Rs. 40 million. It is part of a nine-station programme for KP's merged districts with a combined estimated cost of Rs. 575 million, funded through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Annual Development Programme.

When was the PEDO Khar solar project originally supposed to be finished?

Work began in 2019 and the station was scheduled to be operational by 2024. As of mid-2026 it remains non-operational — nearly two years past its deadline — and PEDO has not announced a revised commissioning date.

Does the Bajaur solar project delay affect electricity consumers in Karachi, Lahore, or other cities?

No. The Khar Mini Solar Grid Station is a PEDO project exclusively for Bajaur in KP's merged districts, served by PESCO. Consumers under K-Electric in Karachi, LESCO in Lahore, or any other DISCO are not directly affected.

What is the generation capacity of the Khar Bazaar mini solar grid station?

The station has an installed capacity of 175 kW, made up of 324 solar panels rated at 580 watts each, plus a control room and boundary wall. Once live, it is intended to supply low-cost electricity to traders and residents at Khar Bazaar in Bajaur.

Solar & WindDevelopingAI

PEDO's Rs. 40 Million Bajaur Solar Grid Still Idle Seven Years After Launch

PEDO's Rs. 40 million mini solar grid station at Khar Bazaar in Bajaur has missed its 2024 completion deadline by nearly two years and remains entirely non-operational. A funding shortfall for the final 1-kilometre transmission line, community resistance over land access, and site drainage problems caused by nearby bypass construction are all blocking commissioning.

PowerPost AI Bureau · Reviewed by Editorial TeamJun 1, 20263 min read0 views

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A Rs. 40 million mini solar grid station built by the Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (PEDO) to supply affordable, uninterrupted electricity to traders at Khar Bazaar in Bajaur has been sitting idle for nearly two years past its 2024 completion deadline, with officials citing a funding gap for a final 1-kilometre transmission line and community land-access disputes as the primary obstacles.

What the Project Was Designed to Deliver

The Khar Mini Solar Grid Station sits at Adil Chowk along the Shandi-Khar Bypass near Khar town in Bajaur. When functional, it was intended to provide low-cost solar electricity to Khar Bazaar, reducing dependence on a national grid that delivers some of Pakistan's most severe load-shedding hours to the merged districts. The installation comprises:

324 solar panels rated at 580 watts each
A total installed capacity of 175 kW
A dedicated control room and a perimeter boundary wall

Construction began in 2019 and the original schedule called for the station to be operational by 2024. As of mid-2026, it remains switched off despite most civil and electrical work being finished.

Three Reasons It Has Stalled

An assistant director at PEDO in Peshawar, speaking to Dawn on condition of anonymity, confirmed that three compounding problems are blocking the final commissioning steps.

Funding shortfall: No budget has been released to lay the 1-kilometre transmission line needed to connect the completed grid station to consumers at Khar Bazaar.
Community resistance: Local landowners have opposed allowing the transmission line to pass through their private land and homes, creating a right-of-way deadlock.
Site drainage: Ongoing construction of the Khar Bypass alongside the project has lowered the surrounding ground level, causing rainwater and drainage water to accumulate at the site and risking damage to completed equipment.

The combination of a budget gap, a land dispute, and an infrastructure conflict has effectively frozen the project at what would otherwise be the final few steps before it delivers electricity.

Part of a Nine-Station Programme for Merged Districts

The Khar grid is one of nine mini solar grid stations that PEDO planned for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's merged districts under a programme funded by the provincial Annual Development Programme (ADP). The nine stations carry a combined estimated cost of Rs. 575 million. Official sources did not confirm how many of the remaining eight are fully operational, but the Bajaur case illustrates structural challenges that likely affect other sites — thin ADP budget releases, unresolved land acquisition, and disruption from concurrent road projects running through the same corridors.

The merged districts, formerly known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) before their 2018 integration into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, remain among Pakistan's most under-served regions for reliable electricity. PESCO (the Peshawar Electric Supply Company) serves consumers in these areas under load-shedding schedules that routinely exceed those faced by residents in provincial capitals.

What This Means for Pakistani Consumers

For traders and households at Khar Bazaar, the stalled grid means another season of expensive generator backup or prolonged outages on the PESCO network. The solar station was specifically pitched to supply electricity at lower rates than the national grid tariff — a direct financial benefit that has now been deferred for at least two years beyond the original schedule, with no firm resumption date announced by PEDO.

The broader lesson from Bajaur is one Pakistan's public-sector renewable rollout keeps relearning: generation hardware can reach near-completion and still deliver nothing if last-mile transmission funding and community land agreements are not locked in before the main construction concludes. Until PEDO secures the transmission line budget and resolves the right-of-way dispute, Rs. 40 million worth of solar panels will continue to generate zero units for the people they were built to serve.

Frequently Asked

Questions about this story

Why has the PEDO solar grid station in Bajaur not been made operational?
Three issues are blocking commissioning: no funds have been released to lay the final 1-kilometre transmission line, local landowners are refusing to allow the line through their property, and construction on the nearby Khar Bypass has lowered the site level so that rainwater now accumulates around the completed equipment.
How much did the Khar Bazaar mini solar grid station cost?
The Khar project was budgeted at Rs. 40 million. It is part of a nine-station programme for KP's merged districts with a combined estimated cost of Rs. 575 million, funded through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Annual Development Programme.
When was the PEDO Khar solar project originally supposed to be finished?
Work began in 2019 and the station was scheduled to be operational by 2024. As of mid-2026 it remains non-operational — nearly two years past its deadline — and PEDO has not announced a revised commissioning date.
Does the Bajaur solar project delay affect electricity consumers in Karachi, Lahore, or other cities?
No. The Khar Mini Solar Grid Station is a PEDO project exclusively for Bajaur in KP's merged districts, served by PESCO. Consumers under K-Electric in Karachi, LESCO in Lahore, or any other DISCO are not directly affected.
What is the generation capacity of the Khar Bazaar mini solar grid station?
The station has an installed capacity of 175 kW, made up of 324 solar panels rated at 580 watts each, plus a control room and boundary wall. Once live, it is intended to supply low-cost electricity to traders and residents at Khar Bazaar in Bajaur.

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