Energy solutions

The issue of energy shortage is not going to go away soon because no progress has been made to construct big dams in the country. We are adopting various short-term solutions but this is not the answer to the issue. The picture looks gloomier when the increase in demand over the next five years is taken into account with no investment made in building big dams.
The situation demands an urgent decision. There should be more emphasis on renewable resources but conventional hydro, thermal and coal-fired power plants should also be built in the short to medium run. The strategy should be to explore indigenous local resources. For example, furnace oil plants are best suited in Karachi where port and refinery facilities are available. Gas plants should be installed in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa near the existing gas fields. KP should explore medium-, small- and micro-sized hydro projects. Sindh should use its coal reserves. Wind turbines should be installed in the coastal belt while Punjab should explore biogas and city waste plants.
Muhammad Yasir Kayani
Kasur