Govt plans free solar power for off-grid homes

Meeting reviews providing free electricity to low-income consumers

KARACHI:

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a meeting, has decided to implement the PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto's programme to provide free-of-cost electricity to consumers living off-grid and to those using 50 to 100 MW electricity by implementing the solar energy solution.

This decision was taken in a meeting held at the CM House in which different proposals were discussed. Minister Planning and Development and Energy Nasir Shah, CM Advisor for Cooperative Societies Ahsan Mazari, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, PSCM Agha Wasif, Secretary Energy Musadiq Khan, and others attended the meeting.

On-Grid

Nasir Shah, briefing the CM, said his department has worked out that around 800,000 households were using 50 MW of electricity per month. They include 441,483 in KE jurisdiction, 229,338 in Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), and 125,500 in Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO).

Similarly, the number of households using 100 MW per month comes to 1.9 million, with 1,054,000 in Karachi (KE), 566,427 in the Hyderabad region (HESCO), and 356,073 in the Sukkur region (SEPCO).

Off-Grid

The CM was told that there were 2.6 million off-grid households of them 500,000 may be provided Solar Home Systems (SHS) in the first phase. The CM said that a 100-watt SHS was enough for three LED bulbs, a 35W DC fan and a 6-hour battery backup with Mobile charging ports. Nasir Shah told the CM that the cost of an SHS comes to around Rs50,000 each and the total cost for 2.6 million SHS would be around 25 billion.

The CM said that six micro-grids, each one of 75kW, could be established in all six divisions as a pilot project to cover a 100-household cluster. These grids could provide electricity to households consuming 100 kWh. Minister Energy said that its feasibility could be prepared if the proposal is approved.

Three Solar Parks

The CM proposed that three Solar Parks, each one of 305 MW may be established to provide electricity to KE, HESCO and SEPCO to provide onward to the on and off-grid household.

The CM directed Minister Energy to prepare proposals for Solar Parks and Solar Home Systems so that one of both proposals could be discussed and approved. Meanwhile, the CM directed the chief secretary to collect data for SHS consumers from the data. "This will help to make decision."