Hydel generation should be our top priority to overcome loadshedding in addition to ensuring cheap electricity to meet our future needs, said Dr Tahir Masood, Chief Executive Berkeley Associate. He was addressing a seminar on a "Promotion of renewable energy resources in Pakistan". He said that the hydel power generation projects need huge capital and long period while on the contrary, the thermal units are being completed with less cost and shortest possible time period.
Comparing the hydel and thermal electricity, he said that hydel electricity is the safest, cheapest and environmental friendly but it has its own handicaps as during the winter season, its production is reduced to the minimum due to the low availability of water in storage dams. On the contrary, the thermal power houses only need one-month period for annual repair and maintenance to give continuous electricity during the remaining period of the year.
He also underlined the importance of multiple purpose storage dams which could store flood waters and save huge losses caused to the infrastructure every year particularly along the river belts.
He said that the total shortfall between supply and demand of electricity is 5,000MW which is being fulfilled by installing small and used generators who have minimum efficiency level. He further said that KP has the maximum potential to produce at least 25000MW of cheapest hydro electricity followed by Gilgit and Baltistan from where we could generate 21000MW electricity. Commenting on Kala Bagh Dam, he said it is not fair to put all important issues on the government who has its own political constraints. He said the business community and chambers from all over the country should pool their energies and pressurize government to start work on this project of national importance.
He said that present government has taken positive steps to overcome the loadshedding. He mentioned three LNG based projects including Balloki, Bhikkhi and Haweli Bahadar Shah and said that these projects have entirely changed the bench marks of mega energy projects. He told that these projects have been completed within shortest possible time and these are producing cheap electricity as compared to the other similar projects. Responding to a question, he said that at least 40% energy in other developed countries is being produced through coal while in Pakistan its ratio is only 1%, despite of the fact that we have huge coal reserves in Thar (Sindh).
He also mentioned the recently commissioned coal fired Sahiwal power project and said that it needs 8000 ton of imported coal per day for which it will require daily 60 to 70 dedicated coal trains. Earlier in his address of welcome Vice President Engineer Ahmed Hassan mentioned the untapped potential of approximately one lac mega watt of cheap and clean hydro electricity and said that previous governments committed criminal negligence and failed to exploit this potential to meet the energy needs of Pakistan.
He suggested that, if we want to develop economically and raise our living standards at least 50,000MW electricity should be added in the system during next 15 years with a primary focus on renewable energy sources. He suggested construction of Bhasha, Dasu and Bunji (16,000MW) dams on a fast track and he said that Basha must not be delayed any further as delay in Basha is costing the economy over $3 billion per annum. Senior Vice President Rana Sikander Azam offered vote of Thanks and assured that FCCI will continue to organize such informative seminars in future. Later, Rana Sikandar-e-Azam and Engineer Ahmed Hassan presented FCCI shield to Dr Tahir Masood.