Islamabad, December 23, 2022 (PPI-OT):A meeting regarding the promotion of solar energy in the country was held today in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. Speaking to the participants of the meeting, the Prime Minister said that solar energy is the best source of clean and cheap electricity and is the need of the hour. The Prime Minister said that the promotion of solar energy is inevitable for the improvement of the economy and reduction of the import bill in terms of fuel. He further said that necessary steps should be taken to promote the use of solar energy at the private level as well.
The meeting was told in the Gaye briefing that the federal cabinet has approved the framework for generating electricity from solar energy instead of expensive fuel throughout the country. It was further informed in the briefing that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority will determine the tariff of major solar energy projects by the end of this month, after which bids will be invited from the investors on behalf of the Alternative Energy Development Board.
In the briefing, it was further informed that three projects are under consideration for generating electricity from solar energy, in which a 1200 MW project will be installed in Leh, while a 600 MW project will be installed in Muzaffargarh and Trimum. The Prime Minister directed that all relevant departments should take necessary steps to make RFP (Request for Proposals) and bidding work faster and transparent.
The meeting was also briefed on the vision of the federal government of the Prime Minister to transfer the existing buildings to solar energy. The meeting was informed that the services of an expert consultant have been obtained regarding the solarisations of the buildings of the federal government. The Prime Minister directed that centralized procurement should be adopted for all federal institutions in this regard, which would be effective and transparent.
The Prime Minister further directed that in this regard solarisations should be done first from the buildings of the federal government established within the limits of Islamabad and later on the government buildings in the entire country. The Prime Minister emphasized that before the start of the summer season, the solar energy of the government buildings should be ensured. The Prime Minister said that by switching to solar energy, the electricity bills of government institutions will be significantly reduced.
Federal Minister of Finance and Revenue Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister of Commerce Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister of Energy Engineer Khurram Dastagir, Adviser to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema, Special Assistants of Prime Minister Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, Tariq Bajwa and senior government officials participated in the meeting.
For more information, contact:
Prime Minister’s Office
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Email: info@pmo.gov.pk
Website: https://pmo.gov.pk/