‘Investors must opt for Pak renewable energy sector’

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain on Tuesday urged the investors to opt for Pakistan’s renewable energy sector which has immense potential.

He said this while opening a three-day International Conference and Exhibition on Renewable Energy Technologies, organised by Pakistan Council of Renewable Energy Technologies (PCRET) and COMSATS, in collaboration with Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).

“Pakistan is endowed with a lot of solar energy throughout the year, which is a great investment opportunity for foreign and local business enterprises,” he added.

Hussain said that Pakistan has been facing a power crisis for many years and the incumbent government, since its inception, has been taking steps to overcome the menace of load shedding. The promotion of the renewable energy sector was the government’s top priority, and it has launched many projects to tap this potential.

Hussain expressed the hope that the people would get rid of power load shedding in early 2018. “The developed countries have made immense progress to get clean energy from the renewable energy sector. However underdeveloped countries cannot yet tap into this sector,” he added.

He said the conference would help in exchanging innovative and new ideas to promote the sector. He considered the presence of eminent Pakistani and foreign scientists, academicians and experts an encouraging sign and hoped for the best outcomes from this event.

Ministry of Science and Technology Federal Secretary Fazal Abbas Maken, highlighted the importance of RETs, especially in view of the rising environmental concerns due to rapid climate change. He called for more efforts to include the share of renewable energy in the total energy mix of Pakistan.

He lauded PCRET’s efforts to install microhydel plants in the mountainous regions of Pakistan, including Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.