‘Engineers should draw a plan to bridge energy deficit’

First world is promoting solar energy in view of depleting oil resources.

LAHORE: The Deputy Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League Quaid senior leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday said that to overcome the energy crisis, Pakistani engineers should devise an immediate and effective plan for energy generation.

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Engineering Development Board (EDB) held under Elahi’s chairmanship approved the board’s budget for the new financial year.

Addressing the meeting, Elahi said that the United States, China, Egypt and Germany are benefitting from solar energy. Pakistan’s weather is best suited for solar energy generation as such the country should pay maximum attention to generate solar energy, he added. Furthermore, he stated that the developed world is promoting solar energy in view of the depleting resources of oil in the world.

Elahi said that the government is planning to install 2 to 4 megawatts units on experimental basis specifically for the benefit of the agriculture sector.

Synthetic Products Enterprises Chief Executive Almas Haider in his briefing said that his company has started planning in cooperation with China for establishing a state-of-the-art surgical plant and has also selected the site along Makran coast for producing power through wind.

He said that Pakistan also possesses rich coal reserves mostly wet coals and China has offered to generate power through this.  He added that presently India is satisfying 40%of its energy requirements through coal whereas Pakistan is producing only 1% of its power through coal.

Haider said that the EDB wants to introduce solar energy at the lowest level.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2012.