The government is working on a 50-year policy to resolve the energy crisis, says minister. PHOTO: FILE
The government has signed a memorandum of understanding with an Indian company for generating electricity from crop waste in Lahore, Provincial Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed told The Express Tribune on Sunday.
“As much as 1,300 megawatts of electricity can be produced in the first phase of the project,” he said.
Javed said 11 million tonnes of crop residue would be used as biomass fuel for the project.
He said an Indian company, Universal Bio Mass Energy, had offered the best price for the project.
“The government is working on a 50-year policy to resolve the energy crisis in five years,” he said.
“Each bio mass energy generating unit will be completed in two years. It will then be handed over to the government… it can be eventually added to the national grid.”
Universal Bio Mass Energy Director Pon Pareet Singh Badal signed the agreement on December 26. From the government’s side, Agriculture Secretary Dr Ijaz Munir and Energy Department Chief Engineer Iftikhar Ahmed Randhawa signed the agreement.
In the first phase, the government plans to start 62 megawatts projects in the province – a 20 megawatt electricity project in Multan, a 20 megawatts one in Kala Shah Kaku, a 10 megawatts project in Faisalabad, a 10 megawatts one in Rahim Yar Khan and a two megawatts electricity project in Daska.
The waste would be collected from wheat, cotton, maize and rice crops.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also invited alternative energy experts from India to share their expertise and ideas.
Balour Singh, the Indian Punjab Energy Development Agency’s director, is expected to head a visit to Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 30th, 2013.
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LENR is soon to make ALL other energy sources obsolete.
@Asif Butt: For God's sake, the project hasn't even started and you have already started criticising it. What is up with all the negativity? The Government has launched a good project to generate electricity by utilising waste, and you have already started criticising it.
This MOU appeared to have signed during the recent visit of Shahbaz Sharif to the Indian Punjab. Though there is a huge potential of generating energy from Biomass products, but the company selected has hardly done anything worthwhile in Punjab except producing around 15mw so far. Indian Punjab is only producing around 50MW energy from biomass so far as bulk of electricity is produced in thermal coal plants which puts a huge question mark on the potential of this firm of generating energy on a large scale.
62 megawatts and with misleading headline! this is what they are best at creating headline and doing nothing at all!
@Singh: we welcome your help Sir and hope we can continue to work together to mutual benefit and goodwill.
@Dr Imran Ahmed: Dear Dr. these unit are already functional in Indian Punjab. But you can not built as your own as it require expertise. Later on you may do reverse engineering like Chinese do. These unit will bring extra income for farmer also. Singh
Provincial and local governments are requested to disseminate schematics of biogas plants so we rural dwellers can construct them ourselves. Generating electricity from biomass or biogas is entirely feasible if some technical know how is made available to the population at large. The government departments with unpronouncable names who are charged with this assignment seem to spend their time hiding from the public. PARCO, NARCO, PCRET, Livestock departments who are supposed to help us are all a big rip off. I challenge any of them reading this to come down from their ivory towers and do some good for their country. Otherwise please wind up these white elephants guzzling the scarce resources of this impoverished nation.
On paper , everything can be done.
Specially in Pakistan , specifically under our & political leaders !!!!