As China, Russian, Germany and many other nations are enhancing their electricity generation capacities by shifting their focus from coal and nuclear on to the renewable energy, Pakistan is banking all its hopes on the coal power projects to cater to the needs of its industrial sector. The government has formally commissioned its second coal-fired power plant in Sahiwal with the largest installed capacity of generating 9 billion kWh of electricity per year. The plant will cater to the energy needs of nearly 10 million people. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already inaugurated the first unit of the coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 660 megawatts and connected it to the national grid. The plant is being built as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project to reduce Pakistan’s energy shortage. The energy projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative will have positive impact on the industrial as well as the domestic consumers in the country. According to a Chinese official, 11 out of the 17 energy projects are jointly planned by the two countries and opening of the Sahiwal power plant will entail a host of energy projects under the corridor project. Most of the energy projects will be completed by the end of 2019.
Pakistan is a country where sun shines the whole year and harnessing the solar energy can cater to the needs of the entire country for centuries. At a time a host of countries are shifting to renewable energy resources such as solar and wind electricity generation, Germany is taking a lead and has share of 85 percent of renewable energy to its credit. Until April this year, Germany used to get at least 64 percent of electricity from renewable energy resources such as from solar and wind. Up to 2pm, the share of renewables is now 85 percent and over three quarters of demand is covered by clean energy from 10am to 6pm. Germany has drastically lowered its dependence on coal energy and has reduced the capacity of its nuclear power by 40 percent. Germany has spent nearly $1.7 billion on clean and renewable energy initiatives and is planning to cut out nuclear power altogether in five years. The country is also planning to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane and Nitrous Oxide by 80 percent.
Pakistan can also follow the suit if it produces voltaic cells itself which converts solar power into electricity. But the local production of voltaic cell is reportedly prohibited and the reasons are unspecified.
