National grid to have additional 556.52 MW solar energy by 2018

ISLAMABAD: Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has issued seven Letter of Support (LoS) and 17 Letter of Intent (LoI) for various solar projects which will generate a total 556.52 MW electricity.

Official sources told APP here on Friday, that seven project were in process of achieving Financial Closing and would supply 72.52 MW electricity to the system by December 2017 and March 2018.

The projects included M/s Access Electric Pvt. Ltd, M/s Bukhsh Solar (Pvt) Ltd and M/s Safe Solar Power Pvt Ltd (10 MW each), M/s Acess Solar Pvt. Ltd (11.52 MW), M/s Blue Star Hydel Pvt Ltd (1 MW), Harappa Solar Pvt Ltd (18 MW) and AJ Power Pvt. Ltd (12 MW).

Similarly, they said 17 solar power projects of 484 MW were at different stages of development and would be completed by 2018-19.

These projects included 50 MW each M/s Integrated Power Solution, M/s Jafri and Associates, M/s Solar Blue Pvt Ltd, Forshine (Pakistan), ACT Solar (Pvt) Ltd, Siddiqsons Energy Karachi and ET Solar Pvt Ltd, 20 MW each M.s R.E Solar-I Pvt Ltd, M/s R.E Solar-II Pvt Ltd, 12 MW each Janpur Energy Limited, 30 MW Asia Petroleum Ltd, 25 MW ET Solar Pvt Ltd and 2 MW each Crystal Energy Pvt. Ltd and First Solar Pvt Ltd.

As many as four solar projects of 400 MW capacity had already been operationalized and these projects are M/s QA Solar Pvt Ltd, M/s Appolo Solar Pakistan, M/s Crest Energy Pakistan and M/s Best Green Energy Pakistan Ltd (Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur).

It is also pertinent to mention here that in a landmark decision, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had already approved the upfront tariff and adjustments/indexations for solar power generation for delivery of electricity to the power purchaser based on solar PV power plants.

The Solar energy is clean, environment friendly and renewable and also provides benefit of carbon credits.

The overall cost of project and generation cost is very much competitive.

The sources said the per MW cost of solar power although higher in the beginning but subsequent decline in cost made it financially viable solution in the medium term.

Its installation was also easy and quick and could play an important role for overcoming energy crisis, they said.

They said low operation and maintenance cost of solar power project was an added advantage. It would help reduce reliance on external imports of fossil fuel, they said.

The sources said, in Pakistan, connecting far off villages to the national grid would be very costly, thus giving each house a solar panel would be cost efficient and would save investment in transmission lines and transmission losses.

They said solar power would facilitate the economy and industry of Pakistan due to its unique benefits and competitiveness.

Many countries USA, Germany, Australia, Brazil, UK, Japan, India, China and Thailand were now generating electricity in bulk through solar system, they said.

It is also worth mentioning here that Pakistan receives one of the best solar irradiation in the world and has a potential to generate over 2.324 million megawatts electricity per annum through solar thermal and photovoltaic systems but this potential is yet to be tapped. Solar irradiation in Pakistan and India stand at 1,900 (kWh/m2), against China's 1,500 and Germany's 1,200.