KARACHI:The Sindh Energy Department in presence of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah signed an agreement with private firms to launch the World Bank sponsored $105 million Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP).
The signing ceremony was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh, Minister Information Saeed Ghani, Advisor to CM Murtaza Wahab, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Energy Musadiq Khan, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, CEO HESCO Abdul Haq Memon, CEO STDC Rehan Hamid, CEO Elan Partner, Consultants Mr. Zaiuddin Ahmed, CEO Foresight Ltd Zubair Ahmed, World Bank Sr. Energy Specialists Mr Oliver Knight and World Bank.
Minister Energy Imtiaz Shaikh briefing the chief minister said that the Sindh Solar Energy Project was being funded by the World Bank with the assistance of $100 million while the provincial government would add $5 million in it. He said that the PD of the project had been appointed who had hired private firms to implement the project through private firms. The K-Electric, Hesco and Sepco would also support the project.
There are three components of the project as follows: A 400 MW solar park would be established for $40 million at Manjhand. A 20 MW rooftop solar systems on public sector buildings would also be build in Karachi and Hyderabad for $25 million. The third component is 200,000 solar home systems for remote areas in 10 districts of the province through solar parks for $30 million. Through this project, solar electricity would be provided to 200,000 houses in the area which are out of grid zones.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah directed Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh to sign an agreement with a private firm to operate and maintain solar park through which 200,000 houses would be provided electricity.
Shaikh told the chief minister that in order to implement all three components of the SSEP, contracts had been finalized under the world bank guidelines. The transactional advisor to carry out competitive bidding. Survey would be conducted to identify government buildings and to prepare bills of quantities to install the solar systems on the rooftop.
The household survey firm will carry out survey in 10 districts with particular reference to enrgy consumption in both off-grid and on-grid areas of the province.
The Sindh chief minister, world bank mission and other top officials witnessed the signing ceremony of the contract.
The chief minister said that after implementation of these components, Rs500 million of the government would be saved in electricity bills.