Pakistan unveils policy for 10,000 MW solar PV energy initiative

Khurram Dastgir Khan addressing Investors Conference on Solar PV. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 15 (Gwadar Pro) - The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), Ministry of Energy, on Tuesday organized the “Investors Conference on Fast Track Development of Solar PV Projects” in Islamabad to have a feedback of investors and experts on the renewable energy sector.

The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) is taking the initiative to substitute 10,000 MW of fossil fuel-generated electricity with solar PV energy. The main objectives of the initiatives are to increase the renewable energy contribution to the energy mix, reducing power generation costs, increasing energy security in the country, and reducing carbon footprint.

Khurram Dastgir Khan, Minister for Energy (Power Division), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Chairman, Prime Minister’s Task Force on Solar Energy Initiatives, and Shah Jehan Mirza, CEO, AEDB interacted with the participants, including officials from Pakistan-based Chinese solar companies, to have their feedback and suggestions on the 10,000MW solar initiative.

“This conference is the beginning of Pakistan’s energy transition; we have to think about and formulate a new policy that henceforth all energy capabilities that we are going to install will be based upon indigenous resources including solar, wind, hydel, nuclear, and Thar coal”.

Large number of investors and experts in attendance. [Photo/Tahir Ali]

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said with the implementation of 10,000MW solar projects Pakistan can save $2 billion annually which currently goes to fossil fuel plants. He said that companies and governments have shown interest in these proposed solar power plants.

Regarding contracts, Mr. Abbasi said that the contracts will be awarded on Government to Government (G2G) negotiation process and on a competitive bidding basis.

The government has divided the projects into three different categories while bidding out the schemes. In the first category, the projects will be multiple of 600MW with the accumulative target of 6,000MW power generation. “The first project will be bid out within four weeks from today, and these projects would be multiple of 600MW,” Mr. Abbasi said.

In the second category, the government will target the generation of one-megawatt electricity directly into 11KV feeders. Through these kinds of projects, a total of 200MW electricity will be generated.

The third category is the solarisation of public sector buildings, aiming to generate 2,000MW green electricity. The rooftops will be provided by the government to the investors.