Day: May 2, 2020

This refers to the news story, ‘Govt grants license for 100 MW solar power plants’ (April 28). These two plants of 50 MW each will be established at Sukkur and Kohat respectively, costing $100 million. This is indeed a satisfying moment to generate pollution-free electricity direly needed. Solar energy is also safe, secure, reliable and cheaper energy. The government’s policy to generate 25 percent electricity through renewable sources is an achievable task. At present, a meagre five percent is being obtained through wind, solar and bagasse. The target of 20…

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LAHORE: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar on Friday said the government as part of its efforts to revive the pandemic-hit economy was developing a comprehensive strategy for restoring activities of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), especially Allama Iqbal Industrial City, in consultation with stakeholders. Azhar said this during a meeting with Mian Kashif Ashfaq, chairman Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) who called on the minister at his office. He said the federal government was also working on revival of textile industry and despite the huge…

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PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved the establishment of its first-ever ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Transmission & Grid Company (KPTGC)’ to address the issues being faced in the provincial power distribution system. After the establishment of its own transmission and distribution network, the province would be able to distribute energy in an efficient manner. This landmark decision was made during provincial cabinet’s meeting held recently under the chairmanship of KP Chief Minister Mehmood Khan. Adviser to CM on Energy Himayatullah Khan was also present on the occasion. In his media statement, Adviser…

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ISLAMABAD: Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have done postmortem of the report of nine-member committee headed by ex-SECP chairman Muhammad Ali on power sector declaring its recommendations as against the spirit of power policies that the governments offered and the power purchase agreements (PPAs). The IPPs also termed many of the recommendations as ones suggesting putting cart before the horse. The IPPs also highlighted glaring mistakes in the calculations of excessive profits and return in the report, saying that in a number of cases, the stated accounts in the report do…

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A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that, to save the planet, a massive transformation of the world’s energy system will need to occur, in which a large-scale shift to renewables and new carbon-free fuels is accompanied by a precipitous decline of hydrocarbons. The report gives solid numbers on what the world will look like in 2050 if the goals of the Paris Climate Accord are achieved. In Global Renewables Outlook 2050, the Abu Dhabi-based agency builds on its earlier Global Energy Transformation: A Roadmap to…

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