Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that the government is working on a “comprehensive plan” to shift to solar power in an effort to rid the country of costly electricity produced from oil and gas.
He said this while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the launch of Green and Blue lines of Metro bus service in Islamabad.
“The electricity produced in Pakistan is very expensive,” he lamented.
Pakistanis are facing the brunt of the power blackout, due to which Protest – some violent – as the government has been unable to Purchase LNG, a major input in production, is widely used in international markets due to its high cost. Causes of the Russo-Ukraine War,
In his speech, PM Shahbaz said that the government is working on a comprehensive plan to provide affordable solar energy to the areas where tubewells, government buildings, hospitals, schools, buildings and houses are located, so that the country can be freed from the country. Can get rid Expensive electricity generated from oil and gas.
“Oil and gas worth Rs 20 billion is imported every year.
“So today there is a meeting in which we will decide about solar power and on how to provide solar panels, loan to common households to save them from expensive electricity bills.”
He lauded the scheme launched by his son, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz to provide free electricity to domestic consumers using less than 100 units in the province, terming it a “revolutionary step”.
He expressed hope that other provinces will also take steps to benefit the people. He reiterated that a meeting on solar energy would be held at the federal level.
In his speech, the premier said that oil and gas prices around the world have been skyrocketing in recent days, making the lives of millions of people very difficult.
“In an era of inflation, which is continuing for the last four years, where a common man works day and night to survive. […] In this context, the public transport service being launched today is a big step for the people of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and surrounding areas.
However, the Prime Minister was of the opinion that the transport service being inaugurated today should be free for one month. “People hurt by inflation should be able to avail this transport service free of cost for a month.”
He also called for completion of all development works for the service at the earliest and make up for the mistakes made in the past.
In a tweet later in the day, the premier said the launch of the service was “good news” for citizens of Islamabad and its surrounding areas.
“This is part of our efforts to provide efficient and comfortable public transport system. It will address the problems of traffic load, fuel cost and environmental hazards,” he said.
‘Government’s top priority to provide affordable electricity’
Later in the day, the premier chaired a meeting of the Energy Task Force in Islamabad, where he said a national solar energy policy would be announced on August 1 to address power-related issues.
According to radio pakistanPM Shahbaz said that the enforcement of the policy would be linked with the approval of the Council of Common Interest (CII).
He reiterated this in a tweet after the meeting, saying: “I was briefed earlier today about major solar energy initiatives. The coalition government will soon present the country’s first comprehensive solar policy after CCI approval.”
He said that solar energy will drastically reduce the import of fuel, reduce the cost of electricity and provide clean energy.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister said that in a month the PM residence and office would be converted to solar power on an emergency basis. radio pakistan The report said.
The Prime Minister said that providing affordable and environment-friendly electricity is the top priority of the government.
Highlighting the benefits of solar energy, he said that it is a source of clean and environment friendly power generation. He said that the use of solar energy would help in resolving problems like distribution loss, power theft and circular loans.
In the meeting, detailed information was given about the steps being taken to promote solar energy in the country. It was informed in the meeting that a proposal to convert fuel-powered power plants to solar power is under consideration.
It was further informed in the meeting that a proposal to generate solar power from 2,000 feeders of 11 KV is also under consideration.
The meeting was informed that in the next 10 years, solar power plants with a capacity of 1,000 MW would be set up in government buildings on a “build, own, operate and transfer” basis.
It was further informed in the meeting that solarization of tube wells would also be done in the country. In this regard, a project was being considered in Balochistan to convert tube wells to solar power.