Alternate energy policy draft to be launched in June

The draft of new alternate energy policy, which included other renewable resources, is ready and will be launched in June this year. This was stated by the CEO Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) Arif Alauddin while talking to media persons on the 3rd and concluding day of POGEE Conference 2011 on "Energy Solutions" at Karachi Expo Centre on Thursday.
He said the new expanded alternate energy policy also accommodates other renewable resources like baggass, hydel, off-grid and net metering technology to give a bigger canvas for investors. All the imports relating to renewable energy have been made duty free, he added.
He said that AEDB has cancelled all the allotments of land of those wind energy projects, which failed to meet deadlines and these lands have been re-allotted to 13 potential investors who have deposited guarantees. About 17, out of 20 allotments were cancelled for not meeting deadlines and 13 of them were restored upon the payment of $250,000 for a new deadline of August 31, 2011, he added.
He pointed out that 7 to 8 wind projects will be having a financial close this year and about 20 more wind energy projects are in the pipeline. Alauddin said that the financial close of Fauji Foundations wind energy project will be achieved next week as they have signed most of the necessary agreements including purchase power agreement (PPA), bank guarantee. Tapal and Beacon are also in the process of financial close, he noted.
Similarly, China Wind Electric (CWE) has signed production contract and they will start manufacturing of turbines in Pakistan. To a question, he said that India had started renewable energy project in 1982 and they had developed a full-fledged manufacturing facility for wind and solar technology long ago.
He said that the implementation of upcoming wind projects could be delayed, if land was not provided to them by Sindh government, in time. Earlier, speaking at the conference, Alauddin said that political support and public support was vital for the take off of renewable energy in the country.
Senior Vice-President, Delta Engineering San Diego USA Zahoor Abbasi, while speaking on Thar coal as an alternative energy resource, said that about 38 trillion cubic feet of coalbed methane can be extracted from Thar coal field. Quoting a report prepared by a Canadian firm, the said that this means that about 900 million cubic feet of natural gas per day can be injected to the existing piped gas network, he added.
He said that USA was getting 7.1 billion cubic feet of gas per day from two coal fields in Colorado and Wyoming states. The USA is driving 10 percent of natural gas from coal, he opined. Citing data, he said the cost of energy from Thar coal will be about $1.8 mmBTU. This is lower than the cost of natural gas, which is $3.5 per mmBTU. The production cost of coalbed methane is $3 per mmBTU, he added.
He said the water from Thar coalfield can be desalinated for drinking and irrigation purposes. About 10,000 acres of land can be cultivated from this desalinated water, he observed. A wind energy consultant Furqan Habib said that Pakistan can start local production of wind turbine with foreign collaboration under technology transfer or licensed production.
Director AEDB Imran Ahmed talked about the investment opportunities and policy support in the renewable sector and said that lucrative incentives are offered under renewable energy policy. National network co-ordinator of ENERGIA Pakistan, Sherin Fayyaz said that mostly women are victims to indoor pollution caused by the use of inferior mode of energy in the country.