AREP may jeopardise 6,000MW of proposed projects in Sindh: minister

The Alternative Renewable Energy Policy (AREP) 2019 is likely to jeopardize 6,000 megawatts of power projects to be set up in Sindh, provincial minister for energy and power said Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at his office Imtiaz Ahmad Shaikh said the provincial government has decided to strongly oppose the new AREP in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

"The AREP has recently been approved by the Federal Cabinet without incorporating the proposals sent by the provincial government," Shaikh said. There are reports that the policy is being sent to the CCI for endorsement, however, we would oppose it because it hurts our interests. Not even a single ministerial level meeting was held in this regard.

He said Sindh offers huge opportunities to not only resolve power crisis but also to make Pakistan an energy efficient country if the resources are utilized to their maximum level.

The province has huge deposits of high quality indigenous coal in Tharparkar, 60-kms long and 80-kms wide wind corridor in Thatta and Badin districts, Gharo and Jhimpir, and many ideal sites for the solar energy.

The federal government should take into confidence the provincial government in the policy formulation process which is our right guaranteed through the 18th constitutional amendment.

"We want to resolve the energy crisis of the country as the wind corridor is in Sindh; however the abrupt decisions without consulting the key stakeholders would create problems. Our recommendations should be incorporated in the policy before it is sent to the ECC for endorsement," Imtiaz said.

It is relevant to mention that Minister for Power Division Omar Ayub Khan the other day said that around 8,000MW and 20,000MW clean, environment-friendly and cheap renewable energy (RE) would be added to the system by 2025 and 2030 respectively under the new AREP-2019.

Imtiaz said Sindh produces around 30 percent oil and 68 percent gas out of the total oil and gas production of the country, respectively. However, there is no representation of Sindh in Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).

To a query, he said around 30 to 35 percent area of the province is off-grid, however the provincial government in collaboration with the World Bank is set to electrify 200,000 homes in the province with solar energy. He said the government was also working on a project to switch all government buildings in Karachi and Hyderabad, including Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), National Institution of Child Health NICH to solar system.

He said some 4,000 MW of electricity would be added to the National Grid from Tharparkar coal power plants by the end of 2022.

He said the provincial electric inspectorate is being revamped so that the electricity related complaints of consumers could be addressed in accordance with the electricity act and the NEPRA Act.