Inter-provincial Workshop Set Up In Quetta On New Alternative, Renewable Energy Policy

A day-long workshop was held here on Friday in the provincial capital aimed at promoting alternative and renewable energy projects in the country, discuss its contours, bring up issues confronting the current national energy mix

QUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jul, 2019 ):A day-long workshop was held here on Friday in the provincial capital aimed at promoting alternative and renewable energy projects in the country, discuss its contours, bring up issues confronting the current national energy mix.

The workshop was jointly organized by the Energy Think Tank (ETT) in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan and the Engro Energy, said press release issued here.

The workshop has also been aimed at enhancing the share of alternative renewable energy versus the fossils fuel energy thereby achieving the goals of energy sustainability, security, affordability and availability on where needed and when needed basis in a long-term time horizon.

It was worth mentioning here that the ETT formed recently as a group of professionals from across the Energy sector's value chain and its ancillary service entities, which have voluntarily gathered on bipartisan basis with the principal aim of building consensus among stakeholders and enriching pool of cross functional knowledge database that leads to optimized solutions for Pakistan's energy sector on a sustainable basis.

This forum will provide opportunity through interactive workshops and conferences for exchange of ideas and propose recommendations for resolving persisting issues of the energy sector at both provincial and national level. The Quetta city was the second venue of the series of workshop in this regard. ETT held its first workshop in Peshawar last week.

The workshop among others was attended by fo Advisor to Balochistan Chief Minister Umer Bangalzai, Additional Chief Secretary Abdul, Rehman Buzdar, Balochistan Secretary Energy Pssand Khan Buledi, G. M. Engro Energy Brig. (R) Tariq Qadir Lakhair, ADG. NEPRA Imtiaz Baloch, Former CEO AEDB, Amjad Awan, Director Planning QESCO Naeemullah.

ETT was represented on the occasion by Shaikh M. Ali, Gul Hassan Bhutto, Ibrahim Shah, Rana Amjad and M. Naeem Qureshi, The representatives of prospective energy sector's investors, academia, researchers, environmentalist and officials of the leading companies also attend the workshop.

Speaking on the occasion Balochistan Additional Chief Secretary appreciated efforts of the ETT to collect recommendations and concerns of Balochistan province over the issue of renewable energy and hoped that the federal government would consider recommendations and suggestions of the forum to promote alternative power sector in Balochistan.

Secretary Energy Pssand Khan Buledi said on the occasion that Balochistan carried one of the most promising potential of renewable energy production not just nationally but all over the world. "Take for instance the example of the wind corridor of Naukundi in Chagai District whose assessed potential of renewable energy production is 16,000 MWs," he said. "Then Balochistan could also produce up to four million megawatts of renewable energy using the solar power that is sufficient to meet electricity needs of entire Pakistan for several coming decades," he said.

He said that potential of renewable energy of Balochistan was ideal whether it is wind, solar, or tidal power.

Brig (R) Tariq Qadir Lakhair said that the after successful completion of Thar coal and energy project in Sindh, the Engro was well poised to explore the renewable sector of the country so to play its due part to generate clean electricity in the country.

He said that Balochistan had been chosen as the venue of the upcoming renewable energy projects of the Engro.

He informed the audience that the Engro Energy earlier in the year had approached the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority seeking generation license for a cumulative 200 MWs solar power plants to be setup in Kuchlak, Balochistan with an investment of $144.4 million.

He said the Engro Energy planned to develop four solar power plants of 50 MWs each, namely Kuchlak-I, Kuchlak-II, Kuchlak-III and Kuchlak-IV in Balochistan, which are expected to achieve commercial operation date by June 2020.

Also speaking on the occasion, Adviser to Balochistan CM Umer Bangalzai assured all out support to the ETT and Engro for development of the clean energy sector.