Karachi, May 02, 2018 (PPI-OT): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the promise he had made to generate 1000 MW renewable energy by the end of his tenure has come true as the power generation has reached to 930 MW and by December this year it would be around 1200 MW. This he said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of 50 MW Jhimpir Wind Power Plant organised here at a local hotel today. He said, the root cause of our power crisis stem from undefined, defective and unworkable Power Policy, particularly for indigenous resources.
Sindh Chief Minister said that he has been working on alternate energy very closely. When three projects of wind energy were being installed at Jhimpir, the issue of height of the wind turbines had cropped up which he had resolved. Presently, two projects have been made operational. “It is a wonderful achievement and it would add to the power availability in the country,” he said and added “definitely we need much more of these power plants.”
He recalled that when Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had given power policy, there was lot of criticism on it, especially after her government was sacked. “In those days I was working in Bahrin and we, a few engineer friends, used to discuss the power policy Mohtarma had announced and most of critics had termed it expensive power policy,” he said and added that the tariff was 6 or 7 cent per kilo watt per Unit.
Murad Ali Shah said “People do not understand the cost of not having power – we do not have power,” he said and added a study was done in 1994-95, wherein the cost of not having power was worked out which was quite dangerous. “Just imagine, had power policy of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto not been there around 500 MW power would have not added in the national grid – in such a situation where we have been now,” he asked. He advised the policy makers to find out the cost of not having power – “our country has suffered a lot, we have gone back several decades because we do not have power,” he reiterated.
He said like food security there should be energy security in the country. Giving an example of food security, Murad Ali Shah said that when PPP government came into power in 2008, there was shortage of wheat in the country. The PPP government announced a number of incentives, as a result “we harvested bumper crops and now we are exporting wheat,” he said. Similarly, in order to achieve energy security, we will have to give incentives to private sector to invest in power generation.
Murad Ali Shah said that in order to achieve energy independence we will have to find indigenous solution. “What I had learnt 20 year back is still valid – still we need to find out the cost of not having energy,” he said and added “obviously, we need to have the system better, I accept that the recoveries of electricity bills are not there, the circular debt keeps piling up, all these are the issues which we have to improve eternally but we not stop energy of the country, of the people and of the industry,” he said.
Murad Shah said that that exactly 21 moth and two days ago he had taken over as chief minister and in the very first week on August 16, 2016 he called on the prime minister of Pakistan. “In our meeting I did talk to him about energy, what I told him that by the end of our government term we would have 1000 MW energy to be produced in Sindh – and with the grace of God right now we are producing 937 MW power.”
He said he told the prime minister that he would given him additional 1000 MW if the he [prime minister give him additional capacity in the grid. “Just you [prime minister] give me few approvals by September 30, 2016– I would manage power generation from the renewable resources,” he requested the prime minister but deplored even then everything went on delaying and delaying.
“Had the federal government given approval in time we would have generated 2000 MW from wind energy by June this year,” he said and added even then we are going to have 1200 MW by end of this year. Murad Ali Shah deplored that there was no clear-cut energy policy in the country. “They don’t have policy for power generation from bagasse, from solar energy, they [Fed govt] keep on changing tariff, keep on misleading developers and finally discourage them to such an extent that they change their mind. “we need to focus on indigenous resources with a crystal clear policy,” he said.
Talking about Thar, the chief minister said that people were criticising Sindh government for investing $1 billion dollar on the development infrastructure in Thar. “Had we used this money [$1 bn] we would have constructed highways, established metros, treated saline water, and industrial affluent, established light rains and such others facilities,” he said. and added “yes they are right, had we not invested in Thar we had developed entire infrastructure all over Sindh,” he said and added “this is the investment for energy security and independence because 50,00 MW electricity is coming out of Thar within next 20 years.”
He said that now the first plant in Thar is on the track, we have done 75 percent work of coal mining and by the end of this year, we would start generating power and start grid synchronization and by March 2018 660 MW power would be added in the national grid and Commercial operation would be achieved, he vowed. “Subsequently every year we would be adding 1000 MW plus from Tharparkar- this what we are working and where energy security is achieved.
Murad Ali Sahab said that the tariff is as low as 9.5 cents, the cost of Thar power- is more than fifty percent lower than the other sources of energy. He said “we have put in only 5 percent of renewable in the grid. The grid has fluctuation, it is not a realisable load,” he said and added “ I have studied engineering- I remember one thing “we have a problem and it has solution, there is not any problem without solution.”
Murad Ali Shah questioned why were are so relying one LNG – imported resources, “we have the energy solution , Sindh has the solution of the entire energy crisis of the country. We have got the coal, solar wind and bagasse,” he said and added “we have to make workable and clear policies, We are going to generate 35,000 MW from Jhimpir Corridors,” he said.
“I remember, when we were going to install Nooriabad Power Plant- a Sindh govt sponsored project, the federal government had created so many problems, they said a 250 MW Power Project could not be installed and created various other programs and finally “I directly went to prime minister and got it approved but even then bottlenecks were created and we had to install 100 MW Power Plant which is now operating successfully.
For more information, contact:
Press Secretary,
Chief Minister House, Sindh
Tel: +92-21-99202019(Ext: 336)
Website: www.cmsindh.gov.pk