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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Additional 556.52MW solar power to be added to national grid by 2018

By our correspondents
June 24, 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has issued seven letters of support (LoS) and 17 letters of intent (LoIs) for various solar projects, which will generate a total of 556.52MW.

Sources told APP on Friday that seven projects were in the process of achieving financial close and would supply 72.52MW to the system by December 2017 and March 2018.

The projects included Access Electric Pvt Ltd, BukhshSolar (Pvt) Ltd and Safe Solar Power Pvt Ltd (10MW each), Acess Solar Pvt Ltd (11.52MW), Blue Star Hydel Pvt Ltd (1MW), Harappa Solar Pvt Ltd (18MW) and AJ Power Pvt Ltd (12MW).

Similarly, the sources said 17 solar power projects of 484MW were at different stages of development and would be completed by 2018/19.

These projects included 50MW each Integrated Power Solution, Jafri and Associates, Solar Blue Pvt Ltd, Forshine (Pakistan), ACT Solar (Pvt) Ltd, Siddiqsons Energy Karachi and ET Solar Pvt Ltd, 20MW each RE Solar-I Pvt Ltd, RE Solar-II Pvt Ltd, 12MW each Janpur Energy Limited, 30MW Asia Petroleum Ltd, 25MW ET Solar Pvt Ltd and 2MW each Crystal Energy Pvt Ltd and First Solar Pvt Ltd.

As many as four solar projects of 400MW capacity had already been operationalised and these projects are QA Solar Pvt Ltd, Appolo Solar Pakistan, Crest Energy Pakistan and Best Green Energy Pakistan Ltd (Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park Bahawalpur).

The sources said in a landmark decision, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) had already approved the upfront tariff and adjustments / indexations for solar power generation for the delivery of electricity to the power purchaser based on solar PV power plants.

The solar energy is clean, environment-friendly and renewable and also provides benefit of carbon credits.

The overall cost of the project and generation cost is very much competitive, they
said, adding that per megawatt cost of solar power was although higher in the beginning, but subsequent decline in the cost made it financially viable solution in the medium-term.

Its installation was also easy and quick and could play an important role in overcoming the energy crisis, they said, adding that low operation and maintenance cost of solar power project is an added advantage, as it would help reduce reliance on external imports of fossil fuel.

The sources said in Pakistan, connecting far off villages to the national grid would be very costly; thus, giving each house a solar panel would be cost efficient and would save investment in transmission lines and transmission losses.

Solar power would facilitate the economy and industry of Pakistan due to its unique benefits and competitiveness, they said. Many countries such as the US, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Japan, India, China and Thailand are now generating electricity in bulk through solar system, the sources said.

Pakistan receives one of the best solar irradiation in the world and has a potential to generate over 2.324 million megawatts electricity per annum through solar, thermal and photovoltaic systems, but this potential is yet to be tapped.

Solar irradiation in Pakistan and India stand at 1,900kWh/m2, against China's 1,500 and Germany's 1,200kWh/m2.