LAHORE: The Punjab Power Development Board of Energy Department, the Alternate Energy Development Board and Zhenfa Pakistan New Energy Company on Thursday signed an agreement for setting up the 100-megawatt solar project in Chaubara area of Layyah district with an investment of Rs10 billion.

The project will generate electricity at a minimum tariff of 3.7 cents.

Following the ceremony at the chief minister’s office, CM Usman Buzdar tweeted that the Punjab government had signed country history’s cheapest solar power energy agreement at the tariff rate of 3.7 cent. Private investors will install the solar power plant in district Layyah.

A little earlier, an MoU was signed between the Punjab energy department and public sector universities at Governor House.

Responding to chief minister’s tweet, PML-N deputy secretary-general Attaullah Tarar tweeted: “Facts need to be stated clearly. The Punjab government under Shahbaz Sharif installed first solar power project of Pakistan at 14 cent in the first phase in 2011 against Nepra’s 17 cent. The second phase of the project was commissioned at 4.5 cent against 9 cent of Nepra in 2014”.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said the energy need of Punjab was greater than that of other provinces due to the size of its population and developing economy. He said the provincial government was committed to fulfilling energy needs from its resources. He said around 173 million units electricity would be provided to the national grid through this project to fulfill the needs of around 17,000 families.

He said around 70 per cent of total electricity product was used in Punjab and the province paid 82 per cent revenue of the national income generated from the electricity sector. He said the PTI government was working for cheap electricity generation as the past government set up expensive energy projects that burdened the masses.

Mr Buzdar announced that government offices would be converted to solar energy in phases, adding that conversion of 950 BHUs to solar energy was in progress. He said the Punjab Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency was providing technical advice to government institutions and energy conservation building codes had also been compiled that would help in saving money. He said a proposal was being reviewed to transfer industrial estates, WASAs and orange line train type projects on alternate energy.

The chief minister said the government was facilitating the investors as ample investment opportunities were available in the energy sector. “A mechanism has been devised to ensure implementation of energy projects in minimum timeframe,” he said and added that a waste-to-energy project was also being studied by the Punjab government.

Federal Minister for Power and Energy Omer Ayub said the solar project agreement had been signed with minimum tariff for which CM Usman Buzdar and his team deserved accolades. He said the past governments had set up expensive energy projects and poor planning was done in the past but the incumbent government was generating electricity through cheap resources. He said the net-metering would be brought to single-phase as transmission lines had been improved that have the capability to supply 24,000-megawatt electricity. He said separate tariff for Wasas was also being reviewed.

Mr Ayub said that $16 billion were being spent annually on buying fuel. He said 70 per cent electricity was being produced utilizing fuel. By 2030, he said 70 per cent electricity would be produced by utilizing local resources. He said it would provide cost-effective electricity to industries which in turn give rise to exports.

GOVERNOR: At Governor House ceremony, Governor Chaudhry Sarwar said all public as well as private sector universities in the province would be shifted to solar energy. He said conversion on solar energy would save billions of rupees annually.

Mr Sarwar said the government had taken difficult decisions that would deliver results in coming years. He said the government had brought down current account deficit from $20 billion to $3 billion. He said all universities had been directed to utilize rainwater.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2020