ISLAMABAD: As the government has shifted its focus from imported fuel power projects to indigenous resources, Pakistan Army has decided to shift Cantonments from expensive system energy to cheaper solar power, sources in AEDB told Business Recorder.

In letters to CEO, AEDB, Shah Jahan Mirza, Secretary Finance, Secretary Power Division, Secretary Defence, Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Farhan Anwar Ali, Bank Al-Falah, Imtiaz Saithna, Habib Bank Limited and M/s Nisam Energy, Colonel Mansoor Mustafa, for Director General Works & Chief Engineer (Army), has apprised that Pakistan Army intends to play its role in eradicating current energy crisis by generating energy from solar for self-consumption in Army cantonments nationwide.

The projects are already approved by the GoP while having approval, support and guidance of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB), National Electric Power Regulatory (Nepra) and State Bank of Pakistan.

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Pak Army, through Competitive bidding had awarded projects to the successful vendors (M/s Nizam Energy, M/s Solis Energy Solutions & M/s Foundation Solar Energy).

According to the letter, currently, Military Engineering Services is executing projects of a cumulative 54-MWp at various cantonments across Pakistan. In some projects work executed exceeds over 70% progress on ground.

However, vendors are facing issues with respect to import of offshore components. Therefore, General Headquarters (GHQ) has requested AEDB and other authorities involved in Prime Minister’s Initiative on “Clean and Green Energy” and working on multiple solar initiatives launched under the leadership of Prime Minister, to align its vendors with the same facility which may be provided to Build-Own- Operate -Transfer (BOOT) providers under the scheme so that it may complete Pak Army’s pending projects which are delayed for the past 6 months.

Military Engineering Services, in collaboration with the contractors, has already put in a lot of effort to make these projects successful. Pakistan Army wants to utilize the support from AEDB to complete these projects and make use of cleaner and cheaper electricity from solar energy.

After explaining the background, Army has requested AEDB to extend help in LCs opening and import process for the mentioned project which are halted for more than 6 months.

The Government of Pakistan intends to establish solar power plants of 10,000-MW at different locations in the country aimed at minimizing generation cost of electricity which is now unaffordable for the industrial, commercial and domestic consumers.

The government has already decided to shift federal government’s buildings from system energy to solar system. Some departments are ready to shift their buildings immediately as they have sufficient funds in current fiscal year whereas some departments are thinking to start solarization of their buildings from next fiscal year.

The country’s power sector Regulator, Nepra, is of the view that neither the power companies have reduced losses, nor improved recovery, which are key reasons of higher electricity tariff.

The Regulator has also proposed to the government to privatise Discos. The government wants to handover at least one Disco to each province which can handle them in a better way.

According to Secretary Power, Rashid Mehmood Langrial, power sector’s losses are higher than the country’s annual defence budget.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023

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Tulukan Mairandi Mar 06, 2023 08:20am
New COAS' first "mega-project". We will read about it in Fact Focus after 5 years.
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Tulukan Mairandi Mar 06, 2023 08:21am
Overpriced low-quality solar panels will benefit nobody except Army Chief and Chinese vendors. And perhaps India too.
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Muhammad Ali Mar 06, 2023 10:36am
Military Engineering Services could have done Solarisation themselves. FA & Matric pass technicians are installing solar system successfully. Giving contracts to other companies means they end up paying 25% extra. No doubt about it that Solar is the cheapest energy of this time; almost free. Who will consume energy provided by world's most expensive thermal IPPs built by Nawaz-Shahbaz selling us @ US Cents 7.00 to 12.00 per KWH whereas Solar cost Cents 1.30 per KWH.
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Dr fahad Mar 06, 2023 10:59am
Pakistan army ZINDABAD
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Dr fahad Mar 06, 2023 11:00am
@Tulukan Mairandi, don't show your gate here
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Tulukan Pundamavane Mar 07, 2023 09:39am
Army Chief's first "project" to becoming a billionaire like his predecessor.
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SAMIR SARDANA Mar 08, 2023 12:21am
Y DID IT TAKE 75 YEARS ? MILITARY CANTTS. HAVE HUGE SURPLUS LAND,WHICH ARE IDEAL CANDIDATES,FOR SPV AND CSP POWER. ICB BIDDING,SHOULD GET THE SPV/CSPPOWER TARRIFF DOWN,TO 10-12 PKR/KWH. MES AND ARMY ORDINANCE, CAN MAKE THE BATTERY PACKS,AND SO,THERE IS NO NEED,TO FEED THE POWER,VIA THE GRID. SO THERE IS NO LOAD OF SPINNING POWER ON GRID -IT IS PURE OFFGRID POWER..THIS POWER CAN EASILY FEED PUBLIC LIGHTING AND ALL ADMIN POWER REQUIREMENTS OF THE MILITARY CANTT. IN THE SNOW BOUND AREAS,THE COST OF EXTENDING THE GRID, OR EVEN HAVING BATTERY PACK POWER, IS A WASTE OF RESOURCES. SOLAR IRRADIATION AND THE REFLECTION FROM THE SNOW IS IDEAL FOR SOLAR. (LIKE IN SIACHEN,WHICH PAKISTAN WILL CAPTURE,SOON) WHEN THERE IS SUN AND TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS AND CONTRASTS, AND AIR , THERE WILL BE WIND AND TURBULENCE - SO IT IS IDEAL FOR HYBRID SOLAR-WIND IPP AND KITE POWER,AND DRONE BASED LEVITATING SPV PANELS.SAMIR SARDANA THEN THIS MODEL CAN BE REPLICATED BY FORCES AND SOE JIYE JIYE PAKISTAN !
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SAMIR SARDANA Mar 08, 2023 03:24pm
@Tulukan Mairandi, A PRIVATE DEVELOPER WILL BID ON TARRIFF.SO QUALITY OF SPV IS IRRELEVANT, GHQ WILL AWARD THOSE WHO BID LOWEST IPP TARRIFF SO NO INCENTIVE FOR LOWER QUALITY IF PLF IS LOW , THE IPP WILL PAY A PENALTY
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SAMIR SARDANA Mar 08, 2023 03:27pm
@Tulukan Pundamavane, NEIN SPV COSTING IS KNOWN SILCON PRICING IS KNOWN IPP PPA TARRIFFS ARE KNOWN THESE 3 COORDINATES WILL NAVIGATE THE GHQ NO ROOM TO DO ANY THING ARMS DEALS IS DIFFERENT AS YOU HAVE CUSTOMISATION OF WEAPONS, LOW CURRENT STOCK AND STRATEGIC NEED TO SAVE TIME OR BUY FOR THE FUTURE ! THAT DON'T EXIST IN SPV/CSP
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