PESHAWAR: Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) has signed an agreement for the construction of 11 wind power projects which would generate 550 megawatts electricity, according to media.
Rana Abdul Jabbar, the chief executive officer of AEDB, signed the agreement with concerned companies to build 11 windmills in Sindh which would inject electricity up to 550 MW to the National Grid.
The contracts have been handed over the 10 private companies which will construct the aerogenerators on separate localities in Sindh’s Jhimpir village to produce electricity for the energy-starved country. According to details, the companies will construct 50 MW windmills each and one 60 MW aerogenerator to produce electricity in the mid of 2021.
The latest agreement will also make a shift towards renewable energy generation by the federal government that had set a target to produce electricity through alternative sources of power production up to 20 per cent instead of using furnace oil. Minister for Power Division Omer Ayub Khan had already announced the government’s plan to generate 8000 megawatts of electricity through renewable energy by 2025.
The minister said that around 85 per cent electricity will be produced through domestic resources to provide the commodity on affordable rates to the consumers in the country. Earlier, the Alternative Energy Development Board in its 46th Meeting under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan had approved the draft ARE Policy 2019 on the basis of consensus of all members on October 11.
The AEDB Board deliberated upon the draft ARE Policy 2019, that was prepared by AEDB in consultation with public and private sector stakeholders including provincial government agencies. The consensus was developed on several inputs and suggestions given by the Provincial representatives aimed towards improving the policy framework. Chairman AEDB Omar Ayub stated that the policy aims at creating a conducive environment supported by a robust framework for the sustainable growth of ARE Sector in Pakistan.
Federal Secretary Power Division, Irfan Ali on the occasion apprised the meeting that for the first time a very ambitious yet workable policy has been attempted to tap the indigenous resources of the country. He said that the policy provides for the steering committee comprising of all provinces and co-opted members who will decide major projects of renewable energy.
