A novel decision

This refers to the news report, ‘PPP senator flays ban on new solar, wind projects’ (April 25). PPP Senator Taj Haider has condemned the decision of the federal cabinet’s energy committee, taken on April 8, to ban new projects of solar and wind energy. The senator has rightly said that the committee had taken such an ill-advised decision only to safeguard the interests of the import lobby.
Renewable energy is the only viable and long-lasting, indigenous solution to loadshedding. The Punjab government has already started work on its 1,000MW solar park in Bahawalpur. Some wind projects are also in the pipeline in Jhimpir, Sindh. Does the federal committee also intend to shelve the Bahawalpur solar park project? One may ask the committee why it is so interested in importing costly LNG when indigenous free resources (sunshine and wind) are already available in abundance. These resources are inexhaustible and do not involve any sort of imports whatsoever. And does the committee know the impact of such an ill-advised decision? It would have been much better if the committee had recommended the production of solar cells indigenously along with wind turbines in collaboration with reputed companies.
Air-Cdre (r) Azfar A Khan
Rawalpindi