350MW solar park to provide cheap electricity to Karachi

The 350MW solar park project for Karachi is an affordable, transparent and environment-friendly scheme, said Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh.

He said this during the signing ceremony of a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the government of Sindh, K-Electric and the World Bank at the Sindh Energy Department office on Friday.

Under the scheme, two solar parks, having a capacity of 175MW each, would be established in Karachi.

Talking to media after the ceremony, Sheikh said that 175MW solar park would be construction on 600 acres in Deh Halkani, Manghopir while another 175MW solar park will be set up in Deh Shah Mureed on an areas of 600 acres.

According to him, the cost of these two solar gardens was estimated at Rs80 million (Rs40 million each) and the solar parks would be completed in a timeframe of two years.

“The Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company will lay the transmission line for both the solar parks while K-Electric will establish the electric grid station and purchase electricity from them,” he said. “Cheap electricity will lead to reduction of the tariff for the citizens of Karachi.”

The government of Sindh is working expeditiously on transparent sources of energy under global environmental protocols, he said adding that solar park project would be extended to other cities as well.

He added that the provincial leadership was rapidly implementing welfare schemes and construction of the 350-megawatt solar park was tantamount to crossing a milestone.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Sindh Energy Department Secretary Abu Bakar Madani, K-Electric Chief Executive Officer Moonis Alvi and World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine.

In November, Sheikh said that the government of Sindh was giving special priority to solar and wind power generation projects so that it could play its role in pollution-free energy and improving the world’s environment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2021.

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