29 Covid hospitals to switch to solar energy

Minister says Sindh's conditions conducive to environment-friendly energy projects

The conditions in Sindh are conducive to environment-friendly energy projects, claimed Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh on Thursday.

"Nature has blessed us with a wealth of solar energy as well as Pakistan's largest wind corridor in Sindh," said Shaikh during a meeting with World Bank officials to review the progress of WB-funded solar energy projects in the province.

The provincial energy minister stressed the need to develop two solar parks of 560MW in Manjhind, Jamshoro, and 330MW in Gharo, Thatta, to deal with the acute shortage of power. He also asked the federal government for assistance and called for progress in talks with K-Electric.

According to Shaikh, the Sindh government has decided to switch hospitals with coronavirus emergency centres to solar power in all districts.

The first phase of work on the project for 29 such hospitals will cost Rs1.2 billion and be completed by March 2021, Shaikh was told. After this, other hospitals in the province will also be switched to solar power.

The meeting directed that work on projects to provide solar power to 200,000 low-income households in remote districts at affordable rates be expedited. Sheikh also asked officials of the energy department to make public welfare schemes workable as soon as possible.

Energy specialist Oliver Knight, Anjum Ahmed and Maha Arshad of the WB, Sindh energy secretary Tariq Ali Shah, project director Qazi Mahfooz and others attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2020.