Wind Energy

Eight wind farm plants on card to generate 550 MW by 2013 in Sindh – Pakistan

Eight more wind power projects (US $ 1.6 billion) are expected to achieve financial close by June this year and are expected to generate 550 MW power by 2013. A senior official in the Board while enumerating the initiatives on Sunday said, AEDB has facilitated large pipeline projects, which are expected to come online in the next year.

The official said through its facilitation, Wind Risk was offered to all wind turbines projects in Sindh as 10 projects are at advance stage of development and implementation. He said the Board has worked with NEPRA to decide tariff for wind projects. Under the fast track policy, he said, another 1000 MW projects are expected to come on line by 2013.

The official said today more than seven top wind power, manufacturers from different countries, are offering wind turbines, fully backed by EPC contract and operation and maintenance for extended period. The Board, he said, has negotiated and arranged the Counter Guarantee Programme with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which has accelerated foreign investment in this sector. Already Asian Development Bank and some other international banks have taken equity interest in the wind farm projects in Pakistan.

With regard to hydro, he said AEDB is managing ADB’s Renewable Energy Development Sector Investment Programme (REDSIP) as under this programme projects of 56.2 MW in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 24.04 MW in Punjab and two projects of 30 MW in Gilgit-Baltistan are under different stages of implementation. He said to further facilitate investment in small hydro power projects, the Board has just completed feasibility studies for top 25 hydro sites in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the cumulative capacity of 284.14 MW. The report is being provided to potential investors.

The official said AEDB, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Agha Khan Foundation (AKF) are implementing 103 micro- hydro projects (15 MW) in Chitral. Phase-two, comprising 250 plants is under preparation. AEDB has obtained licenses for local manufacturing and trained local manufacturers for micro-hydro turbines for the project, he added. Regarding solar energy, he said so far eight Letter of Intents (LoIs) for 211 MW Solar power PV parks have been issued to IPPs. These projects are at various stages of development. Tariff petition by one IPP has also been submitted to NEPRA.

Moreover, one LOI of 50MW Solar Thermal Power project has been issued by the Punjab government while 100 kW solar power project is being set up with assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for Planning Commission and Pakistan Engineering Council buildings. Installation is to be completed by March 2012. The Board, he said also initiated Rural Village Electrification Program for the far flung energy starved areas in the country. The PC-I for electrification of 300 villages of Balochistan have been approved while 49 villages (3000 houses) in Sindh have been energized under this program so far.

Moreover, Parliamentarians’ Sponsored Village Electrification Programme (PSVEP) was also launched under which schemes are being implemented while proposals for 23 schemes, costing Rs. 1.568 billion have been submitted for approval and release of funds. He said the Board is also implementing a programme to introduce Solar Water Heaters (SWH). Under this programme, 1500 such heaters would be deployed, adding that in the other phases another 100,000 heaters would be undertaken with World Bank assistance.

The official said through the efforts of AEDB, market for PV panels has increased by over 200% per year and solar water heater by 300% annually during last three years. He said the Board has also issued a LoI for 12MW project to generate power from agriculture waste.

pakobserver.net/