Wapda has planned to initiate construction work on mega hydropower projects with accumulated generation capacity of about 20,000MW during the next five years. To start with Diamer-Basha Dam this year, these projects include Kurram Tangi, Golen Gol, Dasu, Bunji, Munda, Tarbela 4th Extension etc.
Wapda Chairman expressed these views while addressing the inaugural session of a two-day training workshop on Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), here at Wapda House on Monday. The training workshop-the first ever of its kind in Pakistan-is being organised by Wapda in collaboration with CVDT Consulting BV, Netherlands and EBSF Research and Consulting, Pakistan. The delegates from CDM Cell, Ministry of Water and Power and Wapda along with the representatives of Environment Protection Agencies of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan are attending the workshop.
The Chairman said that Pakistan is blessed with a hydropower potential of about 100,000MW. He said that hydropower, being the clean source of electricity generation, can play a pivotal role in earning more Carbon Credits through CDM in the international environment market. Carbon Credits help making the projects financially viable besides earning foreign exchange, he added.
The Chairman said that Wapda is conscious of CDM facility and has so far forwarded 17 hydropower projects for CDM, but this does not compare favourably with the other countries. Pakistan, therefore, needs to intensify its efforts manifold to develop and submit high quality CDM projects in order to acquire a reasonable share in the global flows of Certified Emission Reductions (CER).
Wapda Member Water, Syed Raghib Abbas Shah, dilating upon the need to organise the training workshop, said that Pakistan has not yet been able to take full advantage of the opportunities available through CDM. Resultantly, Pakistan's share in CDM projects is negligible (0.2pc) as compared with that of China (35pc), India (25pc), Brazil (9pc) and Mexico (7pc). He expressed the hope that the participants will realise the importance of this opportunity and learn maximum about CDM. At present, Carbon Credit market is worth $30 billion and that could grow to $1 trillion within a decade. CVDTC Consultant Casper Vandertak also spoke on the occasion and highlighted the importance of CDM in the wake of Kyoto Protocol.