Govt wants to boost renewable energy sector, says minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Energy Dr Muhammad Akhtar has said that work is under way on various projects in the province to utilise alternative energy sources in line with international standards to tackle climate change and generate cheap electricity to meet local needs.

He was addressing a meeting of the Punjab Power Development Board chaired by him here. The minister said that the PTI government is committed to boosting renewable energy sector for which it had increased the annual budget from five to seven billion rupees. The meeting was also attended among others by Additional Secretary Companies Aslam Shahid, Additional Secretary Admin Tayyab Farid and heads of public sector companies of the department.

The meeting reviewed the performance of the boards of the companies. Showing concern on certain board members remaining absent from meetings, the minister directed for replacing their slots with more qualified experts.