LAHORE: With an investment of Rs 10 billion, an agreement between Punjab Power Development Board (PPDB) of Energy Department, Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) and Zhenfa Pakistan New Energy Company was inked here Thursday, for setting up the 100-megawatt solar project in Chaubara area of Layyah district.
Managing Director PPDB, CEO AEDB and CEO of Zhenfa Pakistan New Energy Company signed the letter of support at a ceremony held at CM Office. Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar and Federal Energy Minister Umer Ayub Khan were the chief guests. This project will generate electricity at a minimum tariff of 3.7 cents.
Addressing the ceremony, Umer Ayub Khan stated that solar project agreement was signed with minimum tariff for which CM Usman Buzdar and his team deserved accolades. "Past governments set up expensive energy projects but the incumbent government is generating electricity through cheap resources," he said, adding: "Net metering will be brought to single-phase as transmission lines have been improved which have the capability to supply 24000-megawatt electricity." Separate tariff for WASAs is also being reviewed, he added.
The Punjab CM stated that provincial government was committed to fulfil energy needs from its resources. Around 70 percent of total electricity product was used in Punjab and the province paid 82 percent revenue of the national income generated from the electricity sector, he said.
The PTI government was working for cheap electricity generation as the past government set up expensive energy projects which burdened the masses, he added. He announced that government offices would be converted to solar energy in phases, adding that conversion of 950 BHUs to solar energy was in progress.
Punjab Energy Minister Akhtar Malik said that most expensive solar projects were set up in the past tenure and public money was mercilessly wasted. Eight thousand schools have been converted to solar energy and the target of converting 15,000 schools to solar energy will be achieved.
ACS (Energy) Irum Bukhari said that CM Usman Buzdar provided full cooperation at every occasion and added it was an important project of providing cheap electricity. Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan, assembly members Ghazeen Abbasi, Sadia Sohail, advisor Dr Salman Shah and energy experts attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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