LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed speedy completion of solar and wind energy projects. While chairing a meeting on renewable energy here, he said it was a priority of the government to encourage the production of electricity through solar and wind energy sources.

The renewable sources would produce low-cost and environment-friendly electricity, he added.

The prime minister pointed out that the last government did not complete the solar and wind energy projects started by the previous government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The 220 million people of Pakistan suffered due to the criminal negligence and incompetence of the last government, he added.

The PM said work on the solar power projects of 10,000 megawatts was continuing at a fast pace.

The solar power projects would help in saving precious foreign exchange being spent on the import of expensive fuel, he remarked.

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He said the relevant institutions should immediately present a strategy for fully benefiting from the available solar and wind resources in the country.

He assured that all obstacles in the way of renewable energy projects would be removed.

The participants of the meeting were informed in detail about the present wind and solar energy resources in the country, the pace of work on the ongoing projects, and the delayed projects.

Besides the current 10,000 megawatts renewal energy projects, it was told that solar and wind power projects of 6,000 megawatts were also considered to produce environment-friendly and low-cost energy. The federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Khurram Dastgir, Ahsan Iqbal, Special Assistant to PM Jehanzeb Khan, Adviser Ahad Cheema and officials concerned attended the meeting.