In a bid to boost the renewable energy sector, the government will announce a national solar energy policy on August 1. The implementation of the policy will be subject to the approval of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The development came during a meeting of the Energy Task Force, which was held on Thursday in Islamabad, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. During the meeting, it was decided that the Prime Minister's House and the Prime Minister's Office will be shifted to solar power on an emergency basis in a span of one month.

Providing affordable and environmentally-friendly electricity to the people is a top priority for the government, said PM Shehbaz, adding that the government is trying to make the country self-sufficient in energy.

Taking to social media after the meeting, PM Shehbaz said: “Coalition government will soon introduce the country's first comprehensive solar policy after approval of the CCI.”

The PM said solar energy will drastically cut fuel imports, bring down the cost of electricity and provide clean energy.

Last week, the prime minister invited Chinese companies to invest in the country’s renewable energy sector, especially solar power.

The PM expressed these views while talking to a delegation of Chinese state-owned company NORINCO.

The delegation showed a keen interest in investing in the wide spectrum of renewable energy projects in Pakistan, especially the wind corridor in Thatta for which a 100 MW wind power project has been proposed.

As per Pakistan’s latest power generation mix, non-renewable energy sources account for over 70% of power generation in the month of May.

The remaining is made up of renewable sources of energy, with hydroelectric power leading the way with 24% of the power generation, whereas wind accounts for 5%, while solar power contributed only 1% to the country’s energy needs, with a generation of only 90kWh last month.