Punjab government is committed to solve energy crisis: Shahbaz Sharif

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has said that work should be carried out speedily to give a final shape to comprehensive planning and strategy for resolving energy crisis in the province.

In addition to hydel and thermal, focused planning should be made for utilizing alternate sources energy including from coal and solar energy and provincial ministry for energy should immediately consider viability of solar energy projects up to 50MW.

Punjab government is committed to solve energy crisis and making efforts for ridding the people of the problems due to shortage of power. He said that international financial institutions should extend cooperation in the projects based on alternate sources of energy in Punjab.

He was addressing a special briefing meeting held on energy crisis especially implementation on solar energy projects in Islamabad today. Federal Minister for water and power, Kh. Muhammad Asif, Provincial Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Ch. Sher Ali, Country Director of World Bank in Pakistan Rashid Bin Masood, energy expert Renold Duncan, Dr. Musaddiq, Provincial Secretary Energy, Prof. Dr. Saleem Jillani, other energy experts  and senior officers attended the meeting.

Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said that provincial ministry of energy should pay its full attention to evolving short, medium and long term projects to eliminate energy crisis. He said that though power crisis is a big challenge but our government is committed to cope with it for steering the province out of energy crisis. He said that there are about 60% consumers in the province using upto 300 units of electricity and possibility of providing solar panels to such domestic consumers should be considered. He said that benefitting from the experiences of America, Germany, China, India and African countries regarding solar energy should also be considered.

The Chief Minister said that every possible step will be taken in the interest of province and the nation for resolving energy crisis and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. He said that people have faced great difficulties due to electricity loadshedding and the government will soon rid them of this problem. He asked World Bank and other energy experts to assess the expenditure on domestic projects of solar panels. He further said that concrete measures would also be taken for checking electricity theft and saving other available resources of electricity and energy for resolving energy crisis.

Country Director of World Bank Rashid Bin Masood, Energy Expert Renald Duncan, Prof. Dr. Saleem Jillani, Secretary Energy and other experts gave a special briefing regarding solar energy projects and implementation on the projects in America, Germany, China, India and African countries. Participants of the meeting were informed about the cost and utility of solar energy projects and the electricity generated from them.