AEDB issues letters of support and intent for solar projects

17 projects of 484MW at different stages, will be completed by 2018-19

ISLAMABAD: The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has issued seven Letters of Support (LoS) and 17 Letters of Intent (LoI) for various solar projects, which will generate a total of 556.52MW electricity.

Official sources told APP that seven project were in process of achieving financial closing and would supply 72.52MW electricity to the system by December 2017 and March 2018.

The projects included Access Electric Pvt Ltd, Bukhsh Solar (Pvt) Ltd and Safe Solar Power Pvt Ltd (10MW each), Acess Solar Pvt Ltd (11.52MW), Blue Star Hydel Pvt Ltd (1MW), Harappa Solar Pvt Ltd (18MW) and AJ Power Pvt Ltd (12MW).

Similarly, they said that 17 solar power projects of 484MW were at different stages of development and would be completed by 2018-19. These projects included 50MW each Integrated Power Solution, Jafri and Associates, Solar Blue Pvt Ltd, Forshine (Pakistan), ACT Solar (Pvt) Ltd, Siddiqsons Energy Karachi and ET Solar Pvt Ltd; 20MW each R E Solar-I Pvt Ltd, R E Solar-II Pvt Ltd; 12MW each Janpur Energy Limited; 30MW Asia Petroleum Ltd; 25MW ET Solar Pvt Ltd and 2MW each Crystal Energy Pvt Ltd and First Solar Pvt Ltd.

As many as four solar projects of 400MW capacity had already been operationalised and these projects are QA Solar Pvt Ltd, Appolo Solar Pakistan, Crest Energy Pakistan and Best Green Energy Pakistan Ltd (Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur).

It is also pertinent to mention that in a landmark decision, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had already approved the upfront tariff and adjustments/indexations for solar power generation for delivery of electricity to the power purchaser based on solar PV power plants.

The overall cost of project and generation cost is competitive. Sources said that although per-megawatt cost of solar power was higher in the beginning, subsequent decline in cost made it a financially viable solution in the medium-term.

Its installation was also easy and quick and could play an important role for overcoming the energy crisis, they said, adding that low operation and maintenance cost of solar power project was an added advantage.

The sources said, in Pakistan, connecting far off villages to the national grid would be very costly, thus giving each house a solar panel would be cost efficient and would save investment in transmission lines and transmission losses.

It is also worth mentioning that Pakistan receives one of the best solar irradiation in the world and has the potential to generate high amounts of electricity through solar thermal and photovoltaic systems but this potential is yet to be tapped.

Solar irradiation in Pakistan and India stands at 1,900 (kWh/m2), against China's 1,500 and Germany's 1,200.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2017.

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