Renewable energy: ‘Punjab to benefit from German expertise’

Chief Minister says gas-based power plants with a generation capacity of 3,600MW will start production by 2017

LAHORE:

Preparations have been completed for construction of natural gas-based power plants with a generation capacity of 3,600 megawatts in the province, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Saturday.

He was speaking to a delegation of officials from a Germany-based private energy company. The delegation was accompanied by German Ambassador in Pakistan Dr Syrill Nunn.

Sharif told the delegation that production of electricity from the projects would start by 2017.

He said the provincial government would set up gas-powered plants with a capacity of 1,200 MW and the federal government of 2,400 MW in the province.

Sharif praised the expertise of German companies in production of electricity through natural gas as well as renewable resources like sunlight and wind and hoped that the provincial government could benefit from their expertise in improving electricity production in the province.

The chief minister also briefed the delegation on projects already underway in the province.

He said the provincial government was undertaking various projects to solve the energy crisis. He said these included projects based on both renewable and non-renewable sources.

He said that $33 billion of the $46 billion investment agreements recently signed between Pakistan and China was for energy generation projects. About the provincial government’s projects, he said construction of the country’s biggest solar power plant, Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park, had recently been completed in Bahawalpur.

He said the plant had started supplying 100 MW electricity to the national grid.

Sharif assured the delegation that work on energy projects was being completed without a delay and in a highly transparent manner.

Sharif referred to the friendly relations between the two countries and said that Pakistan had always considered Germany to be a key trade partner.

He said economic relations between the two countries had strengthened overtime and would be further improved by cooperation in the power sector.

Members of the delegation expressed interest in working with the provincial government for its energy sector projects.

The delegation included International Energy Company President Achim Kawert. Provincial Minister for Minerals Sher Ali Khan and Punjab Power Development Company Chairman Chaudhry Arif Saeed were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2015.