Sindh govt to set up 200MW power plant

The Sindh government has decided to set up a 200-megawatt power plant based on solid civic waste as primary fuel in Karachi as the city of ports generates around 8,000 tons of waste every day.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Sindh Minister for Local Government, Information, Religious Affairs and Forests Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Sindh Minister for Energy Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh on Wednesday.

The meeting decided to develop the project at a fast pace and make it “operational as soon as possible”, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Energy. During the meeting, it was highlighted that about 8,000 tons of solid waste was generated daily in Karachi which could produce up to 200MW of electricity.

The ministers said the plan to generate electricity from waste was necessary and through the project, the waste of Karachi could be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner and electricity could also be produced, the statement added.

Officials present in the meeting said work on the project should be expedited and tariff for the electricity generated from waste should be determined under the alternative energy policy.

Sheikh said work should be done to implement the project in order to generate electricity as soon as possible so that Sindh could be the first province to implement the eco-friendly project. In the meeting, instructions were issued that the scope of project should be extended to other cities of the province so that waste from those cities could also be used in an environmentally friendly manner.

It was highlighted that the landfill site was the most suitable place for the project and “some companies have expressed interest in generating electricity from waste”.