ISLAMABAD, May 29: Calling for a “socially responsible attitude” of the nation in the prevailing energy crisis, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that “electricity should not be used as a luxury but to fulfil the country’s optimal requirements”.

“Simply switching off the electric gadgets from standby mode and using less energy-consuming lights and machines would save a lot of electricity to reduce the demand-supply gap,” he said while inaugurating the first solar grid station set up in Islamabad.

The government, he said, was “alive to the problems the people are facing on account of energy shortages” and was doing everything possible to overcome the problem and utilising all available resources in this respect.

“Energy efficiency and conservation should be given as much importance as is associated with power generation.”

The prime minister said the government was seeking international investment in the energy sector to build projects that could rid Pakistan of loadshedding, which had adversely affected the country’s economic growth.

Realising the growing power demand for industry, agriculture and the domestic sector, the government had initiated several projects which would not only tap the conventional but also renewable energy resources, including wind, solar and biomass, he said.

Apart from large hydroelectric potential, the identified potential of power generation from wind is about 43,000 megawatts and from solar energy more than 100,000MW.

Under the scenario of climate change and melting of glaciers, the harnessing of renewable energy resources had also been given priority, the prime minister said.

An efficient and well-planned energy mix would help the country alleviate the energy crisis and meet future requirements leading to economic stabilisation, he said.

Prime Minister Gilani said the government was continuously working to facilitate investors and making reforms in the renewable energy sector.

He assured potential investors of the government’s full cooperation and invited strategic partners and donors for their active role in the renewable energy sector.