President inaugurates Pakistan’s first windmill power project
File photo shows windmills at Jhimpir, Thatta district in Sindh, before the projects completion. — Photo by Farooq Jan
KARACHI: President Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated the country’s first windmill power project in Thatta on Monday, which will add about 50 megawatts to Pakistan’s energy-starved electricity transmission system.
The wind power project in Jhimpir, installed by the Fauji Fertilizer Company Energy Ltd (FFCEL) and financed by local banks, was completed within a year with 33 German-made turbines with a capacity of 1.5MW each.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, President Zardari said that in addition to the renewable energy project supplying 50 MW to the national grid, an industrial zone was also being set up in Thatta district for which the government will provide all required facilities.
The president added that the industrial zone in Thatta will not only provide job opportunities, but will also help further develop the country’s economy.
Located about 144 kilometres from the commercial capital Karachi, the 50 MW project in Jhimpir will be operational from next month, according to Zorlu Energy Pakistan, the local subsidiary of a Turkish company which is also executing the project.
In total, more than 106 megawatts of electricity will be added to the national power transmission system in Jan 2013 when the FFCEL and the ADB-funded wind energy projects become operational.
The project is a breath of fresh air for Pakistan, which suffers from a debilitating energy crisis and has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world, estimated at 9.2 per cent of GDP. Experts view the power crisis as one of the main constraints for the country’s economic growth.
Good news and congratulations to all Pakistanis. Many thanks to those who worked on the project and made it successful. The country direly needs some more similar efforts.
Windmill technology is easy to obtain and install. Frankly, what is the difference between Chinese technology and German? What are reasons for the ‘go slow’ on coal exploration? Does it really take one whole year to set up a windmill based electricity generation system??? Salams
chiness is little cheaper and other hand india is also manufacturing wind turbine in cheaper rate then germany and india turbine is more suitable for our location so y not our country buy wind turbine from india in cheap rate??
OMG!!! Pakistan didn’t have Wind mill projects till now???? Anyways congrats Pakistan
Wind farms do very little in ratio to investment. They are a major source of bird kill and subject to high maintenance, They are not a source of great power production anywhere in the world. These are feel good projects at best. California has perhaps the largest wind farms in the world and have been around for 35 years, no mention of their great contribution to its power grid, which consumes 56,000 mega watt of power a day, and higher in the summer. To get to that number perhaps the whole state would have to become a wind farm, and that would be suject to the wind, which at best is erratic. Until we harness nuclear fusion, we will use fossil fuels and hydro power to run our lives.