KARACHI, Nov 11 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said that by the end of 2012, Pakistan should be producing 500MW of wind power. For this purpose, he called for periodic reports to be submitted to the Presidency, indicating the progress, made and the bottlenecks encountered.During a briefing by Alternative Energy Development Board, Board of Revenue Sindh and Sindh Investment Board on wind power projects, here at Bilawal House Friday, it was informed that three wind power projects of 50MW each would start producing power within a year while the work on another 10 projects of 50MW each would start early next year.The President was informed that another 5 projects were at initial stage of financial close in 2012.
He directed that land allocation process for 18 other wind power projects also be expedited.Spokesperson to the President, Farhatullah Babar said the President was informed that all projects companies involved with wind power projects, have suggested announcement of upfront tariff to save at least six months project time which is spent in tariff determination by the authority concerned.
The President directed NEPRA to examine the suggestion and expressed the hope that NEPRA would soon arrive at a consensus upfront tariff regime for all the projects till the capacity to produce 2000 MW is achieved.
However, the option of opting for normal tariff determination system would remain open for the companies, which do not opt for the upfront tariff, he said.
The President said that incentives would be given to the companies that would be able to start their power productions within one year.
He also directed for finalization of schemes for construction of road networks in the areas of the power projects.
During the briefing, the President expressed satisfaction that Zorlu Energy of Turkey, FFC Wind Energy and CWE of China, each with 50MW capacity have reached advanced stage and would be able to generate power by December 2012.
The President said that such project were a good start in the quest for finding alternative resources of energy which are efficient as well as would help to reduce the dependence on traditional modes of electricity generation and at the same time expand the power supply capacity to remote locations where grid expansion is not practical.
The President said that wind energy being clean and renewable source of energy was also the world’s fastest growing energy resource and Pakistan needs to tap all available resources including that of solar energy.
The President said that the demand for energy has increased in tremendous proportions in the last few decades and is expected to increase further in the coming years.
He said “meeting the energy requirements is also crucial for our development, therefore we need to utilize all available resources for meeting the energy challenge”.
Those whoe were present during the meeting included, among others, Provincial Ministers Ms. Shazia Mari, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Mir Nadir Khan Magsi, Agha Siraj Durrani, Sharjeel Memon, Chief Secretary Sindh, Shahzar Shamoon, Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR), and concerned Provincial secretaries.
Syed Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power, Malik Asif Hayat, Secretary to the President, Ms. Fouzia Wahab and Arif Allauddin Chairman, Alternative Energy Board were also present during the meeting.
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکِستان) is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west,India in the east and China in the far northeast.[7] Tajikistan also lies very close to Pakistan but is separated by the narrow Wakhan Corridor. Strategically, Pakistan is located in a position between the important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the greater Middle East.[8]
The region forming modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures including theneolithic Mehrgarh and the bronze era Indus Valley Civilisation. Subsequently it was the recipient of Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, and Sikh cultures through several invasions and/or settlements. As a result the area has remained a part of numerous empires and dynasties including the Indian empires, Persian empires, Arab caliphates, Mongol,Mughal, Sikh and British Empire. Pakistan gained independence from the British Empire in 1947 after a struggle for independence, led by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, that sought the partition of India and the creation of an independent state for the Muslim majority populations of the eastern and western regions of British India.[9] With the adoption of its constitution in 1956, Pakistan became an Islamic republic.[10] In 1971, an armed conflict in East Pakistan resulted in the creation of Bangladesh.[11]
Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic consisting of four provinces and four federal territories. With over 170 million people, it is the sixth most populous country in the world[2] and has the second largest Muslim population after Indonesia.[12] It is an ethnically andlinguistically diverse country with a similar variation in its geography and wildlife. With a semi-industrialized economy, it is the 27th largest in the world in terms of purchasing power. Since gaining independence, Pakistan's history has been characterised by periods of military rule,political instability and conflicts with neighbouring India. The country faces challenging problems including terrorism, poverty, illiteracy and corruption.
Pakistan has the seventh largest standing armed force and is the only Muslim-majority nation to possess nuclear weapons. It is designated as a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a strategic ally of China.[13][14] It is a founding member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)[15] and a member of the United Nations,[16] Commonwealth of Nations,[17] Next Eleven economies and the G20 developing nations.
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